Stay By My Side
by LyingRavenEyes
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has been in correspondence with an unknown guy who's been helping her through life all these years. He's the strength that she confides in for advice. After being nagged by her best friend, Natsu, into becoming his basketball team's manager, she has to deal with their sadistic and arrogant coach, Sting Eucliffe-who's also actually her gentle confidant. {StiCy}
1. Chapter 1

**Stay by My Side**

**Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has been in correspondence with an unknown guy who's been helping her through life all these years. He's the strength that she confides in for advice. Her best friend, Natsu Dragneel, has been nagging her to become his basketball team's manager. When she agrees, she has to deal with their brilliant yet sadistic and arrogant basketball coach who's still in college, Sting Eucliffe. It just so happens that this conceited young coach with a dark past is also her gentle confidant.**

**Rated: T**

**Genres: Romance, Friendship**

**Pairings: StiCy (main), NaLi, Jerza, Gruvia, GaLe**

**Background: Lucy and her friends are in tenth grade. Most of them are sixteen. I'm planning on making Sting twenty. **

**A/N: This is my first fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it. Please PM me if you have any questions. I uploaded my profile picture, but it's probably not showing. Oh, well. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: SS<strong>

"LUSHEE!"

I clapped my hands over my ears as my best friend, Natsu Dragneel, raced to my side. Rolling my eyes, I watched as the pink-haired teen jumped up and down with excitement.

"Hey, Lucy, you know I'm joining the basketball team, right?" he asked impatiently. I could tell he was about to burst if he didn't tell me the good news. I sighed dismissively, laughing at my best friend. He was an eccentric one, that was for sure.

"Yes. So, what happened? I thought you were going to try-outs with Gray and the others." I replied, shifting my backpack.

Natsu snorted at the mention of Gray Fullbuster, his "rival". In truth, they were pretty much best friends despite their little rivalry.

"Well, I did. But Gramps came in and told us that we don't have a coach since the old one just retired. But, he found a new coach. Guess who the new coach is?"

"Gramps" was our affectionate nickname for our diminutive principal of Magnolia Academy, who was actually my grandfather.

Natsu's entire face was red at this point. I half-expected him to start breathing fire. I opened my mouth to inquire who it was, but Natsu interrupted me.

"STING EUCLIFFE! You know, that one guy who was a major basketball player in the high school circuit. He went on to college and is playing college basketball, but he's been looking for a part-time job and Master Makarov hired him!" Natsu continued to babble about Sting's supposed "genius skills".

I chuckled as we walked home together. "Okay, that's great! Magnolia Academy's basketball team will finally win the championship then, eh?" I asked, smiling at my childhood friend.

Natsu grinned widely. "You bet! Especially since I can actually try out this year…"

We continued walking home, chatting about everything we could possibly think about. For a moment, we were silent, thinking about everything that was going on.

Natsu broke the silence, tilting his head. "Hey, Luce, you would make a great basketball manager!"

I paused, playing with the idea. Natsu had always loved basketball. When we were young, he used to play on the streets with the older kids. I would tag along, keeping a vigilant eye on him in case he did anything stupid. Natsu always got in trouble somehow. Since then, I developed sense of the game and an appreciation for it. It was almost like I had an innate ability for creating training menus and finding exactly what skills needed to be polished. In this way, I always helped Natsu improve in basketball. I would never actually play, of course. I threw my passion into volleyball.

"Maybe," I finally answered, my mind racing at the number of training menus I would have to make for an entire team.

Natsu and I, being neighbors, waved at each other from our doorsteps before entering our respective homes. I sighed, throwing my bag down.

"Mom, I'm home!" I announced brightly.

My mother shuffled into the room, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She had obviously just came from the garden. "Welcome home, Lucy," she said, smiling warmly. I grinned back, taking out my cell phone. I stared at the cell phone, and memories flooded into my mind.

* * *

><p><em>"Laxus, you can't leave!"<em>

_Young me was upset beyond comprehension. Why did my older brother have to go all the way across the world for some stupid project? He wouldn't be able to visit because of how busy he would be. He wouldn't even be able to message me at times! Why did he have to leave me?_

_It wasn't fair._

_"Hey, Lucy-chan, don't cry," he said softly, smiling. I didn't even bother to wipe the tears that poured._

_Our father had just died, and now my brother was leaving. My life was in disarray._

_"But it's not fair! Why do you have to leave? I won't have anybody!" I sobbed. I was quite attached to my older brother. When I cried, he was always there for me._

_My brother hugged me. "Hey, Lucy, you're not alone, and I won't be gone forever. You've got Mom and Natsu. And you've got SS, too," he comforted, rubbing my back._

_My eyes widened at the unfamiliar name. "...SS?" I asked in confusion, staring at Laxus. He chuckled, ruffling my blond hair._

_"Yeah, SS. He's a good friend of mine. He'll always be there for you when I'm not there, okay? You can pretty much confide with him about everything. If you don't want me to know, you can tell him. He'll give you advice, too. " He handed me a silver cell phone with pink keys and a golden "L" charm. I had finally stopped crying. "SS...is he nice? Can I actually trust him, onii-san?" I asked quietly._

_"It depends on you," Laxus replied seriously, patting my hand._

_"If you want to talk to him, you can. I won't force you to do anything. I just want you to be able to talk to someone. I can't guarantee I'll be able to come back. Please take care of yourself, all right?"_

_I nodded, grinning. "If it's for onii-chan, I'll be brave!"_

_He flashed a grin. "I'll try to come back. Maybe when I can afford it and all. I don't want to leech off of Mom or Gramps for money, either. If you're brave for me, I'll definitely try to come back." he promised._

_With those parting words, he left me with a new friend._

_SS._

* * *

><p>From then onward, Laxus only visited once every year. I rarely saw him, but each time, he seemed perfectly content.<p>

Every day, I contacted SS. I was wary at first. I mean, he was stranger. Why would I trust him? SS contacted me everyday, giving me advice.

I smiled down at the battered old cell phone in my hand.

Typing, I keyed a new e-mail to SS.

_Hey, SS!_

_Today was pretty normal. Natsu, my baka of a best friend, was talking all about this new basketball coach. He also wants me to be the manager of the team, but I have mixed feelings about that. Besides, I might not even be chosen as manager. (Though I honestly doubt anyone else wants to be manager for a bunch of sweaty boys) After all, I'm really busy._

_I've been having nightmares about Father again. Not my step-father, not Laxus's dad. I'm talking about my real father. In a way, I hate myself. I'm relieved that he died. He was so abusive. I don't really consider myself a human being because I'm glad someone is dead. It's kind of repulsive to think that way, right?_

_I'm sorry you have to deal with a person like me, SS._

_Enough with the negative thoughts. Do you think I should become the basketball manager? I really want to help out Natsu and everyone else on the team. No one else wants to be manager._

_I've got a lot on my plate already, though. Volleyball season has started, and homework has been piling up. There's also the fact that I'm the student council's secretary._

_Sorry to bother you with all of this._

_Thoughts?_

_Yours,_

_Lucy_

I sent the message before working on my homework in the large office room. My mom and I had made it a tradition to listen to quiet piano music while we worked on our own things. My mom was an acclaimed pianist and songwriter. She often wrote songs for new movies or television series, and directors were always waiting anxiously for more of her work.

"Hey, Mom, working on a new song?"

She nodded. "It's for a new show. It's sort of adventurous and action-packed. They're looking for a good theme song." she answered, fiddling with a pen. She played a few notes before scribbling them down on a piece of sheet music.

Mom sighed. "It doesn't sound right. I had an idea, and I've been writing in E flat, but it just doesn't seem right." I glanced at the notes she had written on the sheet music.

"Mom, it sounds good so far," I praised, smiling. She smiled back before turning her concentration on the song.

I played it from beginning to end. "Well, the chorus is good. I think you should change the second part of the accompaniment. See, the note 'G' would probably sound good in place of 'A'. It sounds better, right?"

My mom laughed. "Yeah, it does! I guess I'm too old to be editing my own work. Thanks, Lucy."

She busied herself with the rest of the song, including the lyrics.

I turned to my homework, finishing up most of my individual work around the time my mom finished the lyrics for her song. She played the song while singing for my feedback.

"It's amazing! I think the director will be really impressed with this!" I said, clapping.

She laughed, winking. "Thanks, Lucy. Didn't you say you were going to hang out at the karaoke cafe with your friends today?"

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, that must be them!" I said, racing to the front door. Opening it, I greeted my friends. Lisanna smiled at me. "Hey, Lucy-chan! Erza's in her car with Jellal and Juvia. Gray and Gajeel are getting Natsu right now."

"Lu-chan!"

Levy, another one of my friends part of our group, tackled me with a hug from behind Lisanna. "Aw, I didn't want to go to karaoke today. I thought we were going to work on our Chemistry project together! I was thinking we do the flame test!" she lamented.

I nudged Levy, grinning deviously. "Are you sure? 'Cuz I was pretty sure you were really excited to see a certain delinquent just a few hours ago," I teased.

Lisanna laughed, agreeing. "Yeah, weren't you just going on about how adorable he was?"

Levy blushed cherry red, turning away from us. "Stop being so mean! Besides, Gajeel's too much of an idiot to ever notice my feelings, anyway!" she cried.

Lisanna and I high-fived as we snickered at the flushing girl.

"Mom! I'll be back in an hour at nine-thirty!" I cried.

"Be safe, Lucy! Get a ride from Erza afterwards. And call me!" she hollered back. I gave my affirmative before following a still-blushing Levy and a smug Lisanna.

We piled into Erza's car, laughing and joking around. When we finally arrived at the karaoke cafe, my cell phone pinged.

"Eh? What is it?" Levy questioned curiously.

"Is it another message from your sweet pen pal, SS?"

All eyes turned to the young woman who had said this. "Cana!" we cried.

Cana Alberona winked, joining us at the booth. She squeezed in next to me, peering at my cell phone.

Cana had been at Magnolia Academy before she graduated four years before. She had been the ultimate prankster. She had been part of a rag tag group like our own, who had also all graduated. Laxus, my brother, had been part of Cana's group.

Like everyone else in Laxus's group, Cana was a neighbor. Since Laxus's group and my friends were over at the same time, we actually hung out and got along with each other. The other reason we knew each other so well was because of Master Makarov, Magnolia Academy's principal, better known as Laxus and my grandfather. Gramps had placed all of us in cleaning duty while Laxus and the others were still in high school. We always had to clean up on the weekends. It was tiring, but we got along better because of it.

Yes, we were the cleaning duty people.

Cana was one of the more laid back member's of Laxus's little clique. She was humorous and cool, not to mention gorgeous, too, with her velvet dark brown hair and exotic violet eyes.

"Hey, Cana, what brings you here?" Gray asked casually.

Cana winked, drinking from a flask. Cana was like an older sister to all of us, and she wasn't afraid to be "mature" around us.

I rolled my eyes at the thought. Cana was anything but mature.

"Oh, I just got off of work earlier, so I decided to find you brats. Being a fashion magazine editor is actually tiring," Cana explained, sighing.

She leaned back before snapping out of her sleep. "Enough about me. Did you check what your precious SS wrote?"

I blushed. "Hey, shut up, Cana. It's my own private stuff, so butt out. You, too, Levy! I'm going to check it later."

I buried my cell phone in my pocket.

Cana stuck her tongue out at me childishly, eliciting a giggle from me. She stood up, waving her arms grandly. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, then I'm going to karaoke!" she announced pompously.

A dark look passed her eyes as she grinned evilly. "Okay, brats, who should I duet with today?"

All of us shrunk back.

Cana cackled. "Okay, Jellal, your turn!"

The usually composed bluenette suddenly paled. "Cana, it's really all right...I don't want to sing that badly...I heard Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel talking about how excited they were about singing, though!" he said desperately.

Cana glanced at Gajeel. "No offense, dude, but no one can deal with your singing," Cana deadpanned.

The entire table burst out laughing at Gajeel's expense. He glared.

"Fine. Challenge accepted. Levy, let's have a duet face-down with those two!" Gajeel said, his eyes narrowed.

Levy moaned in despair. "No! Gajeel, don't drag me into this!" she screamed.

I laughed, pushing her out of the booth. "Go on with your dear love," I cooed. She sent me a dirty look before stomping onto the stage with Gajeel.

No one survived Gajeel's singing.

* * *

><p>When most of us finally stopped screaming and running away from the karaoke cafe, we walked back to Erza's car, laughing at the ordeal.<p>

We met Gajeel, who was waiting at the car with a permanent scowl etched into his features. "You all are just rude. Can't deal with my amazing singing," he huffed, his arms crossed.

Juvia tried sympathizing with her childhood best friend. "Gajeel, it's okay to be bad at singing! You're good at plenty of other things."

Gray bit back a laugh. "Yeah, like scaring the hell out of birds when you sing," he commented. Gray and Natsu laughed together, high-fiving.

Juvia frowned. "Gray-sama, that wasn't called for," she scolded. Gray raised his hands up. "Okay, okay, sorry."

Levy cleared her throat. "Um, Gajeel, you don't have to be so upset about it. Everyone has faults. Gray's a stripper."

Right when she said this, Gray lost his shirt.

"Gray, your shirt," Levy called flatly.

"Oh, shit!" he cried. Juvia, meanwhile, was having a nosebleed from "her lovely Gray-sama".

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. Cana was watching all of us, a soft smile on her face. I tilted my head. Usually, Cana would have actively participated in the teasing. I shook my head ignoring the thought. Cana was probably just exhausted from work.

"See?" Levy said, gesturing at Gray.

Gajeel grunted, patting Levy's head. "Thanks, shrimp," he said.

Levy became indignant. "Hey! No need to call me offensive nicknames regarding my height!" she yelled. The two began to bicker, but Levy didn't see a rare and real smile on Gajeel's face. The rest of us noticed, and we couldn't help sharing smirks and happy smiles.

"Think we're going to have a new couple soon?" Lisanna quipped.

Cana nodded, smirking. "Twenty bucks says next week."

"Tomorrow," Erza disagreed.

"A month. Gajeel's too chicken to ask her out," Jellal said, laughing.

Erza rolled her eyes. "What about you? It took you nearly a year to finally ask me out," Erza accused, jabbing a finger at her boyfriend. I chuckled at Jellal's nervous expression. Erza was one girl you did not want to piss off.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat at a fast food restaurant, we said our goodbyes. Erza dropped me off in front of my house, waving.

I entered my house after the car ride, humming. As soon as I returned, I opened the e-mail from SS.

_Lucy,_

_I think taking up a new job would take your mind off of your deceased father, but please don't overwork yourself. Don't worry about your father so much. If you need anyone to be there for you, I'll be there._

_A way to get over the nightmares—think about something happy, or listen to calming music. You can always talk to me, too. I'll try my best to message you back._

_I'm glad to see you're happy right now. It seems you and Natsu are getting along very well, as usual. How have you been getting along with your other friends? Your onii-san was always complaining about how much his own friends loved to worship him. Especially Freed. I'm sure you've met him. Cana loved to tease Laxus about it. _

_Yes, I'm pretty sure no one would like to manage a group of sweaty basketball freaks. But you never know. Since you believe you're the only one, I'm sure the new coach would appreciate your help. _

_Lucy, you aren't disgusting. You're an incredible person, and I want you to know that. There is no other person who I would want to be able to protect. I know your brother and mother are proud of you, too. You're brave, strong, and stubborn, and don't ever forget who you truly are. You should be proud of yourself. I'm proud of you._

_It might seem stupid for me to say, but this is definitely true. If you ever doubt yourself again, please remember that I'll be there for you._

_I think it would be great for you to take on some more activities as long as you're not swamped. It depends all on you. I understand how much you love basketball even if you don't play. Natsu and your other friends on the basketball team would also be grateful for your help. Good luck. _

_If you have any troubles, don't hesitate to message me._

_Take care._

_-SS_

I smiled softly as I flipped my phone shut.

SS was always giving me good advice. Laxus had been right. If I had told him about my troubles, he would have tried to protect me. He wouldn't have completely allowed me to make my own decisions since we were closely related.

SS was an outsider. He was a stranger who I didn't know. In a way, he gave the best kind of advice because he was a stranger. He protected me, yet he allowed me to have my own freedom and choice.

I smiled to myself. SS was like my guardian angel. He was always at my side, even though he wasn't physically there.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That's all! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please support this story. Questions? Concerns? Feel free to review or PM me. Also, if you have any ideas or different pairings, please tell me. I'm pretty sure this story will stay StiCy, though.**

**BTW, "SS" was friends with Laxus, so that's how he knows about Cana and Freed. I'm not sure if that was clear enough. **

**If there are any mistakes, please comment about it.**

**Thanks!**

**Yours, **

**LYING**


	2. Chapter 2

**Stay By My Side**

**A/N: I apologize for any confusion. Everything about Lucy's father and Sting's past will be revealed in future chapters. Thank you so much for the reviews and following/favoriting. All of you are wonderful and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I regret that this wasn't Nalu, but I have my reasons. Sting's personality has an important purpose for the story, and I can't imagine Natsu being sadistic and rude.**

**Again, thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. (4, 709 words, not including the A/N!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Laxus Enthusiast and the Weird Doll Collector<strong>

_SS,_

_Thanks for the reply. I'm going to take the offer of manager. That means a lot more work for me._

_Yay! Not._

_I hope all is well for you. Thinking about what you said, I'm just going to look at the positives in my life and try to somewhat ignore my past. You might be trying to convince me that I'm not evil, but I'm probably the biggest evil there is—besides actual murderers, of course._

_I don't deserve to message someone as caring as you. You're the best, SS!_

_Whatever. So, Gajeel and Levy—those friends of mine who are denser than even Natsu—might be on the verge of dating. Cana betted a week. I think their romance might take a couple of months. Gajeel isn't slow and careful, but I know he doesn't want to mess up with Levy._

_Erza and Jellal are doing well, too. Oh, I forgot. Yesterday, we met up with Cana at the karaoke cafe. She's as crazy as ever. She was teasing me about always e-mailing you. Yesterday, she seemed a bit out of it, too, after karaoke and seeing Gajeel and Levy all lovey-dovey. Do you know what's wrong? I know you weren't really part of Laxus and Cana's group, but you were still close to them, right? Sometimes I wonder if you're really Freed, Bixlow, or Laxus himself. You could even be one of Cana's drinking buddies._

_Well, I'm getting along wonderfully with my friends. Natsu's been coming over a lot, too. I think it has something to do with helping him with basketball. He's been badgering me about new exercises and tips to help him._

_I'm feeling pretty happy today. The sun's out and shining, and I can't wait for the anime convention in a couple of months. All of my friends should be attending. Maybe you should come, too?_

_What am I asking? I'm grateful that you're always there for me. I don't need to know who you are._

_Thank you for everything._

_I'll always message you if I'm in trouble._

_You're amazing!_

_Yours,_

_Lucy_

_P.S. Like the photo?_

Sting Eucliffe was lighting a cigarette when his cell phone pinged from a new message. Taking it in hand, he opened it to reveal Lucy's morning e-mail. His lips quirked up into a smile as he read the teenager's e-mail. He studied the picture of Lucy hugging a stuffed frog with messy bed hair and her signature pink PJ's. It made her seem even cuter.

He shook his head at the sentences of praise she sent him. He wasn't good or wonderful. He'd killed, and he definitely wasn't proud of it. Laughing painfully, he wondered how Lucy would react if she knew who he truly was.

A lying, hurtful, deceitful little shit.

It would kill Lucy if she ever knew the truth about SS. Her sweet, wonderful SS. For that reason, he kept it a secret. He needed to continue protecting her.

Sting was still wondering why Laxus had entrusted her in him. He was the worst possible option for an innocent and impressionable girl like her.

He had also actually agreed to become her high school basketball team's coach, even when he learned she would be the manager.

"I can still change my mind," he said to himself, thinking.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Lucy was always depending on SS. Sting would have to protect her with everything he had. He wouldn't mind personally checking up on her, too.

His phone started buzzing. The caller ID flashed, showing the words "disgusting hag" with a picture of Cana Alberona. Sting would normally ignore her calls. After all, she knew he was SS. She knew about his thoughts of Lucy. Today was not a normal day, and he was feeling surprisingly giving.

"Yo, stupid kid," she said as soon as he picked up.

"Shut up, gross, old hag," he replied with a snort. Cana and Sting were drinking buddies, along with Macao and Wakaba. While some mistook their relationship as something more, both of them knew they were definitely friends. Cana was four years older, and she always dated older guys. Besides, Sting and Cana viewed each other as lovable and annoying siblings.

"Perverted asshole." she retorted.

"Retarded drunk." he shot back.

"Gravure-adoring moron." she returned with ease.

"Weird slut," he finally said after a moment.

Cana paused. "Hey, that's rude, baka. I've been dating Bacchus for a whole year! Don't say I'm cheating. Yeah, that's right. We might even get married!"

There was silence before both burst out laughing. "No way in _hell_ will you get married," Sting replied in between snorts.

Bacchus Groh was Cana's twenty-eight year-old boyfriend who was an extreme alcoholic just like her. He was also extremely perverted—again, in a way, him and Cana were very similar. They'd both first met while having a drinking contest.

"Cana, your boyfriend is the perverted one," he said, laughing.

Cana chuckled. "Yeah, I know..." Her voice suddenly became serious. "Look, Sting, I know what Lucy told SS. Are you sure you'll be able to keep your identity a secret even if you're at the same school as her? You'll be interacting with her a lot. Lucy's a smart girl. She might figure it out..."

"And then she'll be absolutely crushed when she realizes exactly who I am and what I've done,," Sting finished, his teeth clenched.

Cana sighed. "In a perfect world, you would be Lucy's gentle and beautiful SS. You wouldn't have been such a troubled kid. Don't you think it would be best if you just stayed as far away as possible from Lucy to prevent her from finding out about your true identity?"

The blond man fell silent.

It was surprising how much a man like him cared for Lucy. He'd known her when they were younger, but Lucy obviously didn't remember.

Sting had tried everything to hide his past. His father had been a big yakuza leader, and that was why Sting had been trained and brought up in such a way. There was so much that Lucy didn't know. Laxus had been the first to discover who Sting truly was. It didn't take long before the other friends of Laxus knew. They seemed like a fairly ordinary bunch, but Laxus and his friends had dealt with a lot of bad criminals. Laxus, Cana, Mirajane, Bixlow, Freed, and the Connells They'd been the ones who pulled Sting out of his inescapable ditch. They'd helped him leave his father's dealings with a great deal of trouble.

"Lucy doesn't know. I want to keep it that way until I have to tell her. For now, please continue keeping my secret. I'm gonna go to her school. Just stay out of it. I'll deal with it myself." Sting finally answered carefully before ending the call.

He stared at Lucy's e-mail again.

_I hate myself. I'm lying about everything to Lucy._

* * *

><p>I jumped out of my bed after sending SS the e-mail, looking forwards to a new day. Usually, I was always grumpy and depressed in the morning, allowing SS to cheer me up with a stupid joke or a remark about something embarrassing about Laxus.<p>

Quickly washing up and changing into my uniform, I grabbed my organized backpack, cell phone, and the novel I had been reading, which had been suggested by Levy.

I walked downstairs to see Natsu already eating breakfast with Mom. Natsu lived with his father who was normally on business trips. The two Dragneels got along amazingly well, but they never really spent much time together. Natsu's parents had separated, and his mother had taken his adorable younger sister, Wendy, with them.

Because he was mostly away, Natsu often ate with us. We were pretty much family.

"Mornin', Luce!" he greeted with a wide, toothy grin.

I smiled. "Hey, Natsu. Good morning, Mom!" I said in a cheery tone.

My mom greeted me back with equal vigor, busy scribbling down something in a notebook. "Lucy, I've been having a lot of meetings since I've been teaming up with other songwriters. Please stay over at a friend's these next few week. You, too, Natsu."

"Would it be fine if we went to Cana's? Her apartment's closest to our house," I asked. Mom smiled. She adored Cana, but I wasn't exactly sure why.

"Of course. But make sure you two check in with her," Mom replied.

Natsu shook his head. "Nah. I'll crash at Gray's today. You and Cana can talk about your girly relationships and crap," he said in a grudging way. I raised an eyebrow. "Natsu, what's this about?"

He pushed away from the table and walked off in an irritated manner.

Mom's lips tugged into an entertained smile, as if she were watching some kind of soap opera and were laughing at the pure idiocy of the in-love characters.

"Mom," I warned, knowing she would probably go on to talk about my best friend having a crush on me. Just the thought made me really confused. Natsu would never want to date me. I was pretty sure he didn't even know what the term "date" meant.

"Alright," she said, sighing heavily.

I finished up my breakfast before walking to school with Natsu. I quickly called Cana to check if I could stay with her for awhile. She immediately agreed, promising she wouldn't invite any "guy friends" over.

"Hey, Natsu, can you tell me what's wrong?" I asked curiously as our shoes slapped against pavement. The pinkette grunted in a way that reminded me of Gajeel.

"Why are you acting in such an obscene manner?" I asked in an exasperated tone. "You're never like this, you know? Why the sudden change?"

He was silent as I tried to get his attention. I made hilarious imitations of him, wrapping my head in my pink jacket and making a "fired up" facial expression.

"I'm a pink-haired baka who likes to talk about basketball and video games!" I shouted, waving my hands.

"Luce, it's salmon, not pink!" he cried, defending his hair.

I laughed. "And I'm overly sensitive about how people interpret the color of pink hair!" I continued with my act of Natsu.

Natsu grabbed me cheek, squishing it. I wasn't able to speak as he moved my head back and forth. My complaints came out garbled.

"Sorry I'm acting weird, Luce," he said softly, releasing my now-red cheek. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

I stared in surprise. Did something bad happen?

"It's just...I have this huge crush on someone, and she doesn't realize it. She's really pretty and kind and I just really wish she noticed…and she calls me dense!" he ranted on about how annoyed he was about the situation.

I lit up. Lisanna and Natsu were getting closer lately, and Lisanna always talked about how dense Natsu was. It was probably Lisanna! Lisanna was also known as the nicest girl in school, and everyone got along with him.

"Oh, it's Lisanna, right?" I asked excitedly. I couldn't wait to have two more of my friends hooked up together.

Natsu was extremely pale, probably from my guessing correctly.

I grinned widely. "Of course! Why didn't I notice? You two would make such a great couple."

He grinned weakly. "Yeah, wouldn't we?"

I nodded, eager to support my best friend. "I'll be supporting you all the way! Don't be afraid to go for it. I bet Lisanna has a crush on you, too," I encouraged.

My best friend agreed. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it? It could be a possibility."

He hesitated. "But, Luce, I don't-"

"LU-CHAAAANNNN!" Levy flew in from behind us, embracing me. She was surprisingly strong for such a small girl.

"Oh, Lu-chan, I have so much to tell you! You won't believe what happened with Gajeel yesterday!" she said enthusiastically, her face flushed from excitement.

I nodded, truly thrilled for my friend. "He asked you out, right?"

Levy looked slightly downcast before she perked up again. "No, but I have a really strong belief that he might like me!"

"That's awesome! Hey, wait, Natsu, did you have something to say?" I questioned, referring to his unfinished sentence.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Hey, no worries," he said with a tooth-filled grin, "It wasn't important anyway." He turned to talk to Jellal.

Levy and I walked to our first class, Japanese. She started to tell me the occurrence between her and Gajeel.

"So, I told him that Jet confessed to me yesterday. Well, he did. I was really sorry to turn him down, and-"

"Not as sorry as you are now! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I screeched, berating her with angry claims.

"Lu-chan, I really am sorry! Please forgive me!" she cried.

I composed myself again as a group of unnerved freshman passed us. I flashed a disarming smile.

They all ran away screaming like I was a monster.

"Why did they run away?" I sobbed pitifully.

Levy giggled. "Maybe it was because of that scary aura you were emitting. I thought you were going to kill me, Lu-chan!"

I pouted. "Levy-chan, I'm not that scary, am I?"

My blue-haired friend rolled her eyes, pushing me into our classroom. "Lu-chan, when you're mad, you're scarier than Gajeel when he sings," she replied.

"Ouch, that was hurtful!" I whined. How could I be as scary as Gajeel when he sings?

"Nope, my brain disagrees. I think you're much scarier than both of us combined when you're fangirling over Gajeel or one of your OTPs." I said.

Levy squealed. "I was reading this new book, and-"

"Stop reading so many racy romances," I teased.

Levy blushed. "They are most definitely not racy romances! Only Erza reads those. Besides, my favorite books are perfectly respectable and aren't all about sappy romances."

"What about me?"

Erza arrived on the scene, her reading glasses glinting.

Levy and I turned into a bumbling mess. "Uwahaha, we were just talking about how great a couple you and Jellal are!" Levy said.

Erza immediately blushed, turning away and mumbling to herself.

Levy and I shared winks, glad that we had successfully turned her attention away from us.

The class had all settled in by now, but our teacher was not there yet.

The door opened, revealing a model.

Everyone turned to her, eyes wide. We were all absolutely stunned.

"Ohayo, class! Tanaka-sensei is out today, so Master Makarov called me to fill in!" she said, smiling.

"Eh? Mira, why are you here?" Erza asked in astonishment.

Mira's smile became wider. "Oh, hello you three! Well, Master couldn't find any substitutes for today, so I'm filling in!"

"B-but, you're a model," one disbelieving student sputtered.

"Yeah," our other classmates chimed in.

Mira nodded. "Every great person was once a neophyte! I wasn't born a person great at modeling. Everyone has small beginnings, and mine was right here in Magnolia High with Lucy's brother!"

All eyes turned towards me. I shrunk back, not wanting everyone's sudden interest in me.

"Mira, you weren't supposed to say that," I said, sighing.

She winked, tilting her head towards a cute boy diagonal to me.

"Anyway, class, no slacking off. Tanaka-sensei says we'll be working on grammar. Open up your textbooks to page fifty-eight, and let's start with the lesson!"

Class with Mira had been interesting and informative. She made an excellent teacher. Someone had commented on that, and she had explained that she used to tutor.

After three boring classes with my least favorite teachers (it was unfortunate; I had them all in a row), I headed to lunch.

"Hello, Lucy-chan," Juvia said with a smile.

"Hey, Juvia-chan!"

Juvia and I had had a rocky relationship at first. She was a hundred percent sure that I had a crush on Gray, which I definitely did not. After clearing that up with her, I found out that I got along quite well with Juvia.

"So, any progress with Gray so far?" I asked curiously. I was also supporting the two of them. Gray wasn't dense; he knew about Juvia's feelings for him.

It was a matter of time before the two figured things out. Gray was probably too concerned about how strange things would be between Juvia and him if they started dating.

Juvia's shoulders sagged. "No great progress. But Gray-sama needs his time. I will do anything for Gray-sama!"

She pumped her fist into the air, determined.

I laughed at her devotion to Gray. "Yeah, Gray does need time. Don't worry about it, Juvia!"

We quickly sat at the table with the rest of our friends, bentos in hand.

"Natsu, why did you order so much?" Lisanna asked.

Natsu's tray was piled even more with food than it usually was.

"Duh—they're serving rice balls and omelets today," Gray replied, setting down an even bigger tray.

He smirked. "Hey, I got more food than you. Only a real man can eat THIS much."

"You two are wimps. Check this out." Gajeel set down a tray overflowing with food.

Levy squeaked. "Gajeel! It's childish to participate in this!"

Gajeel eyed Levy for a moment before a devilish grin on his face. He grabbed a hold of some of the food on Gray's tray and slowly approached Levy.

Levy shrieked, backing away with her hands before her in a defensive position. "What are you doing?"

"Shortie, I think you should eat more. You're really skinny," he mused.

Levy shot me a desperate look. "Lucy!"

I shrugged. "I'm still mad at you for not telling me," I replied.

"Erza!" Levy cried.

Erza smiled. I knew she wasn't going to beat up Gajeel because she supported them as a couple. In a way, this was a good development.

"Sorry, Levy."

The bluette turned to the others, who all refused.

Gajeel pried a protesting Levy's jaw open, shoving food into her mouth.

"MMMPH!" she cried.

We laughed.

Juvia cooed at the sight, clasping her hands together. "I wish Gray-sama would feed me, too! But not in Gajeel-kun's coarse manner."

Gray reddened, looking away. "H-hey, don't say that! You know that's sorta weird." he said.

Juvia lapsed into silence.

"Um, so, I'm staying with Cana for a couple weeks!" I declared, changing the subject.

"For what reason?" Lisanna asked curiously.

"Mom's away from home on her job," I answered.

Natsu cleared his throat. "Er, ice princess, that reminds me. Can I stay over with you?"

Gray glared. "What did you call me, bastard?"

The two launched into an extremely heated argument, resulting in Jellal trying to keep the two from trading punches.

"Are you two fighting?" Erza questioned in a deadly calm voice, a sinister smile across her face. Immediately, the entire cafeteria went completely silent as every froze. A shiver ran up my spine as I carefully edged away from the scarlet-haired teenager.

Everyone was afraid of the wrath of Erza Scarlet.

"No, ma'am!" Gray and Natsu squeaked, saluting her. They placed their arms around each other. "No, we're best friends! See?" they said desperately.

Erza calmed. "Good," she said before returning to her strawberry cake.

I released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Sweat-dropping, I watched as Erza ate happily, sparkles in her eyes.

"Erza, I think you should lay off them once in awhile. They're stupid boys, anyway," I said lightly.

Erza stood up. "No can do! They must be trained to become real gentleman for their future girlfriends!" she cried. She started a long speech about boys and controlling them to make them better.

Lisanna giggled, whispering, "Sometimes, I wonder if Erza practices these kind of speeches at home."

I laughed. Erza dressed up in a school professor's outfit popped up into my mind.

Lunch ended without any injuries, luckily.

* * *

><p><em>Hey Lucy,<em>

_I see you've decided to take up the manager spot. I'm sure Natsu will thank you. Of course, I'll supporting you along the way. I actually managed some sports teams, so I could possibly aid you._

_Of course I'm going to tell you you're not evil. And it's true. If you asked any of your friends or anyone else, I'm sure they wouldn't call you evil, either._

_Honestly speaking, evil is just a mirage created by the brain, making the person guilty and feel like they must account for their sins. You didn't kill your father. You merely were glad he was dead. That wouldn't be classified as evil by normal people._

_People do not mourn for people like your father._

_Neither should you believe you're a bad person. It's normal to feel like the way you are feeling. I am sure you will someday forgive your father for what he did to you and your family. Don't ever say you're not worth it. You definitely are._

_The weather has been nice lately, but I've always loved rain more. It's just me._

_It's nice to hear your friends becoming couples. Maybe you should find someone out there for you, too?_

_For Cana, it's probably her boyfriend. They're practically made for each other, but they're going through a difficult spot. She tries to pretend, but she might actually want someone to talk to._

_I'm definitely not Laxus, Freed, or Bixlow. Laxus is too protective over you. I admit I'm also protective, but that's because I want the best for you. I hope I'm giving you enough freedom in your decisions, too. Freed is too prim and praises Laxus way too much. Laxus is amazing, and he deserves the praise, but Freed takes the praising to another level. Although I get along with him well, Bixlow is just perverted and disgusting at times._

_I realize that each of them have their own personalities and traits, so please don't take my opinions to heart. I know you love all of them like older brothers._

_I really wish I could join you at this convention, but I can't. It's not that I don't want to meet you; I'm just very busy and the point of these pen-pal e-mails is to keep me a secret._

_Laxus's commanded, you know._

_Good luck and reply soon._

_-SS_

I smiled happily at the new e-mail. He always knew how to keep me positive. I was so happy he was in my life. I really did want to meet him though. I was pretty bummed about not being able to see him at the anime convention.

Laughing at the parts about Laxus, Freed, and Bixlow, I realized it was completely true.

He wasn't any of them, but he didn't say no to being one of Cana's drinking friends. I shuddered. I'd met Macao and Wakaba, and SS definitely didn't sound like them.

I wondered what SS stood for.

"Maybe his initials…" I said aloud.

"Lu-chan, what was that?" Levy asked curiously.

Juvia and LIsanna glanced at me, intrigued. I blushed. "Oh, nothing. Just something about…"

Lisanna laughed. "Let me guess, SS?"

I nodded, turning away to cover my blushing face. "Oh, look, we're here," I said, pointing at a familiar apartment with dazzlingly intricate iron-wrought gates.

"That's right. We'll see you soon, Lucy-chan," Juvia said, smiling.

I nodded and waved at the others as I left.

Punching in the code at the gate, I watched as it slowly swung open for access. I quickly headed to Cana's apartment, taking the key out. She'd given it to me a long time ago after I kept on going to her house to just "chat".

Cana was really understanding. Sometimes, you didn't want someone to talk. You just wanted to rant about whatever you were mad or thrilled about and have them listen. You just wanted someone who would agree with you wholeheartedly. It was always nice to have someone to talk to face-to-face; it was a comfort SS could never give me.

"Hey, it's the kid!"

My jaw dropped.

Bixlow? Freed?

Freed gave me an apologetic look. "I apologize for his bombastic behavior, Heartfilia-san. He's always like this, as you know, and I'm sure you don't appreciate being called a child." He elbowed Bixlow in the ribs.

Freed was a tall and thin man with long, vibrant green hair. He was prim and poised like royalty, but that all went away when the subject came to Laxus. Then, he would become a mushy fangirl, complimenting Laxus. He was also odd, insisting on wearing thick clothing even during warm summers.

Bixlow was...unique. He carried wooden dolls around. Covering up his eyes, he always wore some sort of eye protector. Sometimes he even wore a metal helmet. He was also quite perverted, but Cana never seemed to care about his antics. Bixlow got a tattoo years ago as a dare. Not afraid to back down, he agreed. That was why Bixlow had a pitch black dragon doll on his tongue.

I never understood where his doll obsession came from.

I laughed. "Hey, it's okay. I haven't seen you two forever! And, Freed, please don't call me 'Heartfilia-san'! That's my mom."

Freed stared at me with wide eyes. "B-but, you're Laxus-sama's imouto! I shall at least call you Lucy-san."

Bixlow slung an arm around my shoulder before ruffling my hair. "Eh? You're still wearing those side pony-tails," he said, pulling on it.

I shoved him away with an annoyed grin. In truth, I was happy to be around the two. I hadn't seen them for a long time. Like SS had said, they were like my older brothers.

Hugging the two, I asked, "Where's Cana?"

"She had to help out with something," Freed replied dismissively.

I nodded. Cana was pretty busy.

"So, how have you been?" Freed inquired, smiling brotherly.

"Yeah, what's up with you, cosplayer?"

I rolled my eyes at Bixlow's nickname. I dressed up as a cheerleader one time for a pep rally, and now Bixlow loved to call me that.

"Nothing much. I helped out with the boys' basketball team today after school since their coach isn't there. They're all pretty decent players. I had them do a couple of speed, stamina, and defense drills today." I said, remembering how I had forced them to run around the entire school thirty times.

I snapped my fingers. "Oh, Mira came to teach today. Did she just have some free time today?"

Freed nodded. "Yes. Mira-san was on vacation from her work, but she wanted to help out Master Makarov."

"Oh, I see."

Bixlow and Freed's cell phones pinged at the same time. Both pulled their phones out, examining the message.

They gasped.

"He's back?"

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that was good. I didn't edit this, so i apologize in advance for any mistakes. Please notify me if there are any. <strong>

**Anyway, that's a wrap! **

**Please review, etc. etc. **

**Thank you, **

**Lying**


	3. Chapter 3

**Stay By My Side**

**A/N: Hello, readers! Sorry about this late update. I wrote this twice, but it disappeared both times (I manually saved it, so I was pretty annoyed). Well, here is the new chapter.**

**Follow me on Instagram at mira_demon for author notes concerning chapters, original drawings, and random FT posts. Two underscores.**

**Thanks. I apologize in advance for late updates. I'm glad you are liking it so far, and please give me any suggestions to improve my writing. I am sorry for the mistakes in the last chapter. There were a lot!**

**Also, if the characters are really out of character, I am very sorry. I tried my best since some of these scenes were quite difficult for me to write.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Sting and Natsu Problems<strong>

"Who's back?" I asked curiously, peering at their phones.

Freed shook his head quickly. "Um, nothing. Just some guy, is all. So, I made dinner. Would you like to eat now?"

I glanced at the two suspiciously. Bixlow's face was serious, not at all like his usual relaxed self.

"All right," I finally answered, heading into the kitchen. I heard them sigh in relief.

Why were they acting so secretive?

"Whatever," I muttered to myself. I would pry into their private business, but it still hurt that they didn't trust me enough.

"When they're ready," I agreed with myself.

Serving myself and the other two, I received an e-mail. I opened my phone, staring at the message.

_Lucy,_

_Please be safe. If anyone suspicious comes, please contact me immediately. Also, I would like it if you stayed around a friend whenever you go somewhere._

_-SS_

I dropped my phone in shock. Someone suspicious?

"This isn't good." The message SS had sent had arrived right after Bixlow and Freed received simultaneous texts.

I spun on my heel and marched towards Freed and Bixlow.

"Look," I commanded, showing them the e-mail from SS.

Bixlow snorted. "So he's already taking extra precautions. All the more reason since he'll be trying to protect you physically now."

I tilted my head. "So you_ do_ know who SS is?"

Bixlow and Freed nodded.

I sighed, munching on the ramen he'd made.

"So, any homework?"

I nodded, sighing. "Yeah. A ton of projects." I replied.

He nodded. "Oh. You better get started, I guess."

I nodded, agreeing. After finishing up my homework, it was already midnight.

Freed and Bixlow had dropped by, checking on me. The guest room was cozy and fit my preferences, but Cana had gone a bit overboard with the guest bathroom, which was covered with fuchsia and lavender.

I yawned, silently walking past Freed and Bixlow's room. They were sound asleep; I could hear Bixlow's loud snores.

Laughing to myself, I grabbed a quick midnight snack. I quickly pulled out some washed strawberries, popping them into my mouth.

SMASH!

"Aw, shit, the drunk is going to murder me tomorrow."

I spun around, stumbling away from the sound of the voice. The voice didn't sound like Bixlow or Freed, but it was male.

"W-who's there?" I stuttered, gripping the closest weapon I could find.

The figure stepped into the low lighting of the kitchen, raking a tan hand through his spiky hair.

I thought he was the most gorgeous guy I'd ever laid my eyes on.

His blond hair stuck out on all sides, giving him a messy and attractive look. It was parted to the left, and a small, jagged scar ran across his forehead, making him look handsomely rugged. His eyes were an attention-drawing sapphire blue, accented by his tan skin. His full, light-colored lips were "totally kissable" in the words of any other girl my age that dabbled in makeup and other superficial dealings. His features were perfectly placed, and he had a strong jaw. A silver earring hung from his left ear.

In all honesty, he could have been a male model.

I loved him the moment I set my eyes on him, as shallow as it sounded, but that stupid love immediately washed away when he opened his mouth to speak.

"No need to be scared, Blondie."

I glared at him. "My name is not Blondie, idiot," I replied, crossing my arms.

He smirked, stalking closer. I gripped my weapon, a pair of scissors, tightly.

"Don't step any closer, stranger," I declared, trying to sound brave. He laughed.

In one smooth motion, his right arm pressed on my wrist and the scissors landed neatly into his other hand. He brought the scissors to my lips, tracing them teasingly.

My breath hitched. I was nervous and scared out of my mind. My wrist was throbbing.

"That's not how you greet an old friend of the drunk," With each word, he calmly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

I was pretty sure my face couldn't get any redder at that moment.

"G-get a-away I'll s-scream," I threatened, trying to twist away.

He leaned back, sneering at me. "I thought an idiot like you would give me more entertainment than that," he said simply, setting the scissors down.

I flushed, once again enraged. "What the hell, you stupid blond monkey! You're insulting me and I don't even know you."

The blonde smiled in a dark, predatory way, his blue eyes darkening and sending shivers down my back.

"Name's Sting Eucliffe. I suppose you'll be callin' me 'coach'."

At that moment, I knew I was dead.

* * *

><p>"Cana, why did you do this?" I asked in exasperation, thinking about the situation with Sting.<p>

The older woman shrugged, chugging down liquid from her flask. "The brat's like a brother to me. I decided to help him out for once. It was the least I could do after..."

She coughed, blinking rapidly. I stared in her in confusion, but I noticed the tears at the corner of her eyes. She didn't cry often, so this had to be big.

"Cana, it's okay if you can't tell me," I said quietly.

She shook her head. "No. It's about my boyfriend, Bacchus. Some irresponsible teenager crashed into him while driving. He's got major brain damaging. Sting has been helping me get through it with his own stupid ways."

I gasped. Cana had truly loved Bacchus. I couldn't even fathom how she felt right now. No wonder she had been so out of it lately. SS had been right. Cana was hurting.

"Cana, I am so sorry! Is there anything you would like me to do? Please, if you ever need someone to rant to, I'll be here."

She rubbed her eyes. "Thanks, Lucy, but right now I'm just tired. I thought seeing all of you kids at the cafe would make me feel better, but it just made me feel even sadder."

She paused, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Lucy. Sting's moving in next door, but it was too late to unpack yesterday, so he just stayed over."

Freed and Bixlow entered the scene. Bixlow was stuffing down some breakfast while Freed was carefully examining his nails. "We'll see you later, Lucy-sama," Freed said.

"You're leaving already?" I asked, disappointed. It had been a while since I had seen my two pretend older brothers.

They nodded. "Yeah, our only job was taking care of you yesterday, Cheerleader. Take care of yourself!"

I quickly embraced both of them as a good-bye before they walked out of the door. Sting lumbered in, yawning.

My jaw dropped. He was dressed only in grey sweatpants. My mouth dried as I stared at him. He was definitely lean and muscular. His back muscles and biceps were especially prominent, rippling against bronze skin whenever he moved. Sweat clung to his skin, beading along each contour of muscle. I continued staring, my eyes constantly drifting from his face to his bare midriff.

Obviously, he had just been exercising.

"Hey, Blondie, you're gonna be late for school," he said.

My eyes widened. "No way! I've only got ten more minutes!"

I rushed into the guest room, throwing on clothes and brushing my teeth and hair. Jamming my books into my backpack, I raced out of the room. "Sting, take her to school!" Cana shouted.

Sting started to protest, but Cana unleashed her ultimate death glare. Sting grumbled, "Annoying old drunk."

He slung me over his back with his keys in hand, still dressed in nothing but sweatpants. I was too annoyed and distracted to protest his carrying me like a potato sack. I just went along with it, slumped over his back like a lifeless doll.

I glared at him, trying hard not to be distracted. I wasn't usually this shallow. It was obviously Sting's fault for flaunting his body.

"Wait, I forgot something," he muttered. I sighed inwardly in relief. He finally realized he needed a shirt!

Instead, he grabbed a pair of dark shades before padding outside to his car wearing socks over shower shoes.

"Typical jock outfit," I muttered to myself.

Sting threw me into the shotgun seat.

That was when I realized what kind of car he drove. It was a bright blue Porsche convertible with beige-colored leather seats of exceptionally high quality. I wasn't much of a car freak, but even I knew this car was not cheap.

"Don't dirty my beauty," he commanded, shoving some magazines into the glove box.

I rolled my eyes, settling inside the car.

Then he drove with heavy metal blasting from the radio.

He sang along, slamming his palms against the wheel as he wildly drove the car around corners. I was literally dying of fright as he drove past the speed limit, turning sharply. He didn't seem to have a care in the world as wind blew past us.

All of a sudden, he pulled to a stop, causing me to slam forwards into my seat belt. I growled, uncomfortable as I rubbed the sore spot on my neck from the seat belt.

I glanced over at him. Why did he have to look so undeniably beautiful without trying?

I, however, was another story. My hair was a complete mess, sticking up in all directions.

I didn't even notice the amount of people gawking at us and the car. "You idiot, you should have driven more responsibly! Look at my hair, baka!" I shouted, grabbing a random magazine and slapping him.

He grunted, defending himself.

"Look, Blondie, you should be thanking me for the ride," he replied casually. Winking, he said, "How about a kiss? You're not exactly cute, but, hey, at least it's something."

I flushed red, both angered and embarrassed by the remark. He was insulting my femininity!

"How dare you!" I screamed. Before I could even get another "Lucy kick" in, he drove away in his sleek car, calling, "See you after school, Blondie!"

I glowered after him.

"Lucy, how do you know Sting Eucliffe?" Gray asked, stunned.

Jellal nodded, his arms crossed. As usual, he was calm and collected, only becoming flustered around Erza. "You two seemed quite close in that display," he commented.

"No, no, you've got it wrong! We're not friends or anything. He's Cana's new neighbor!" I explained.

Lisanna giggled. "I'm almost jealous that you've got someone like that next door. Maybe I'll come over more often."

Levy snickered, nudging Lisanna. "Oh, please. We all know you've got your eyes set on Natsu."

Lisanna blushed, but she didn't deny it.

I raised an eyebrow. "Since when? I didn't know this!"

Erza interrupted, "Speaking of Natsu, where is he?"

All of turned, looking around for him. "Maybe he's sick. Juvia hasn't seen him all morning." Juvia said.

From my peripheral vision, I saw a flash of pink hair. It was Natsu, leaning against the brick wall in the shadows. I started to speak up, but then I noticed his expression. It was dark and angry, like something bad was going on for him.

"Natsu…" I whispered. My heart clenched at the thought of my best friend being in trouble.

"Lu-chan, do you like Eucliffe-san?" Levy asked curiously.

My attention focused on my short, blue-haired friend. When I looked back to where Natsu was before, he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Lucy-chan, you're distracted."<p>

Laki-sensei's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I apologize deeply, Laki-sensei," I replied, bowing.

Laki-sensei crossed her arms. "Lucy-chan, something is wrong. Maybe you should fix your problem. It's better than allowing it to delay any longer."

I hesitated.

Laki-sensei had been my previous teacher. We became fast friends since I was part of the "Creative Writing Magazine Committee". She had been our advisor. I was helping her during my lunch time to organize the mystery genre of creative writing stories.

"Honestly, I don't know what's wrong. Natsu has been acting weird this morning." I answered honestly.

Laki-sensei paused. "You need to talk to him. Go, now," she commanded, adjusting her spectacles.

I was about to protest when Laki deadpanned, "If you don't go now, I'm kicking you off the committee."

I didn't need to be told twice.

Rushing out of the room, I ran to the cafeteria and searched for Natsu. On the way there, I found Natsu in the empty hallways by himself.

"Natsu," I called.

He turned slowly, seeming conflicted.

"Um, what's up, Luce?"

"You've been ignoring me all morning," I said.

Natsu's eyes flicked to mine. Licking his chapped lips, he said, "Sorry. I didn't realize. Oh, I've got to go. See you around."

"No, Natsu, stop." I said forcefully. I had to find out what was wrong with Natsu.

"What is wrong? Can I help? Please?"

His expression flickered into one of distress. There was a world of hurt and pain in them as he stared deeply into my eyes. This was an expression of someone deeply troubled.

"Lucy, that's the problem. If you helped me, it would be worse for you."

"What? Natsu, what do you mean?"

"Because I'm in love with you."

I choked on my own saliva as the words rolled off his tongue. It seemed so natural for him, but my emotions were going haywire.

_What? Is he joking? No way!_

It took me a while to collect my confused and shocked thoughts. When I finally did, I knew the rejection would not be pretty. I loved Natsu, but he was only a friend. An amazing friend that I would trade everything in the world for, but I couldn't give him an empty love. I almost wanted to say, "same here" because of the badly contained hope in his obsidian eyes.

Almost.

"Natsu," I spoke softly, as if not to terrify him.

"Natsu, I would do anything for you, but I don't want you to be unhappy. I can't give you this. You deserve something that isn't fake. I'm not in love with you. I really am sorry. I wish I was if it would make you happy."

He barked a laugh. "And this is? Luce, you've got to be kidding me." His tone of voice was bitter. It jarred me out of my stupor.

"Natsu, stop! You're not acting like yourself. Pull yourself together!" I snapped.

His face cleared.

"Don't make it sound like you care for me. It makes it hurt worse."

He turned away, too fast for me. I grasped for him, not wanting him to leave. All I got was air.

* * *

><p>Natsu showed up for basketball practice after school. I knew, no matter how much he hated me, he wouldn't skip something so important to him.<p>

"Everyone, get into stretches. Natsu, I want to talk to you."

"Manager, that isn't a good idea," he said seriously.

My anger flared. He was being so immature about it. I was hurting to, but I wasn't ignoring him! I was trying my best to make the situation better.

"Natsu, locker room, now!" I thundered brusquely.

The gym was silent as he marched obediently into the locker room.

I took a moment to assess the rest of the team. "Keep it up."

I walked in after Natsu and locked the door behind us. As if to prevent him from escaping, I relaxed against the door's flat surface.

"It's too early to be talking about this. I know you don't like me. That doesn't mean you're not still my best friend. That doesn't mean I care for you and that I want you to be safe." he explained carefully.

Automatically, tears escaped my eyes. I surged forwards, bringing my best friend into a hug. "Natsu, promise me you'll be my friend again. I'll give you your time."

He sighed heavily. "Thank you, Luce. I'm glad we sorted that out, but for now, I'm staying as far away from you as possible."

He gave me a half-smile before walking out of the locker room, saluting me.

I smiled to myself. I would never lose Natsu. We had been through too much together to ever lose our friendship.

Even if it was awkward now, we would somehow become good friends again.

I walked out after him, feeling like a huge burden had been lifted off of my shoulders. A world without Natsu was definitely not a good one.

"So this is the team, huh?"

All eyes turned to the man at the entrance. I clenched my teeth. I had completely forgotten exactly who our coach was.

Sting was dressed in casual clothes—black high-tops, a sleeveless hoodie on top of a white shirt, dark blue basketball shorts, and his signature earring look. At least he was wearing clothes.

There was a leer on his lips as he tugged on his cigarette. I saw a flash of pearly white teeth. His eyebrows tilted upwards, looking like he was seeing something funny.

Then it dawned on me. He was mocking the basketball team.

I was outraged. Was he really making a joke out of his new team?

I had been handling practice as the basketball manager. I was already proud of their improvements in the short time period allotted.

And here was the new coach, laughing at us as if we were a flock of circus clowns.

I took the insult to heart.

Stepping forwards, I smiled coolly. "Welcome to Magnolia Academy, Eucliffe-san." I paused, smiling ever-so sweetly. I was boiling with hatred. Sure, I could deal with it if he was teasing and insulting me, but degrading the team? I couldn't let him do that. Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Jellal, and the others deserved so much more.

I would rant about this for eternity to SS. Inwardly, I face-palmed. I had forgotten to message him!

"These are the subjects who would like to try out for the team. We're hoping you'll bring us to victory this year," I continued, giving him a direct challenge. If we didn't win, I was indirectly accusing him of being completely at fault.

Sting finally focused his blue eyes on me. They were annoyed.

He slowly plucked the cigarette out of his lips, shooting it into the trash can six feet away without even glancing back. My eyes widened a fraction of an inch as it made it in perfectly with a soft clunk.

"Of course. Petty little high-school students with petty little dreams. Why am I not surprised? And, you? You're the little damsel-in-distress having all of the guys saving you." he said. He didn't say it in a taunting way; he said it like it was a fact.

"What was it again? 'Get away, I'll scream'." he imitated me, speaking in a tremulous falsetto, referring back to our first encounter. It was like he was a completely different person. The Sting in the morning hadn't been so harsh on me. This one wanted to destroy me.

My mouth dropped open as my face burned with anger and embarrassment.

"Hey, who are you—" Natsu and Gray simultaneously stepped forwards to defend me.

I stopped them with a hand before staring straight into Sting's cold eyes.

"Of course. I'm nothing but a stupid girl who knows nothing. That's my place, isn't it? And, yet, I'm the one who's taking responsibility of the team. I've been making their training menus while you were absent." I replied, smiling darkly.

Sting stared at me with an unreadable look. Something flashed through his eyes—it wasn't anger or pain or disappointment.

No, he was amused.

This made me angrier, and I got even angrier when he swept past me like nothing had happened.

"I want you all to line up. Tryouts start now and I don't want any wimps. Training's gonna be hard, so if any of you want to back out, do it now." Sting said, grabbing a basketball from the cart.

No one piped up, wanting to quit.

Sting smirked, his blue eyes darkening. For some reason, every time he smirked, chills ran up my back like a bad omen. "Have it your way. I assume you've already stretched and warmed-up. Everyone on the baseline on my left. Twenty suicides. On my mark, go. Hey, manager-san, why don't you come here and tell me your gathered data if you're oh-so-brilliant," he commanded.

I gritted my teeth. Why had I agreed to become manager?

"Of course, Eucliffe-san," I replied, a forced smile on my face. _For the team. For the team!_

I chanted to myself, telling myself to be strong and just deal with his majesty's obnoxiousness.

I walked over, talking about key strengths and weak points of all of the members trying out.

"Looking at the data, I can already assume that our team will be a lot stronger than last year. Most of them are a little weak on defense, though. They're all reckless sophomores since last year's team decided to give up, even when the principal decided to bring you in. I've already calculated our best combinations, partnering, and starters. Our core center will be Gajeel. Jellal's a good shooting guard; he's definitely got his own skills up his sleeve. He can shoot pretty much anywhere, and his accuracy's pretty high. Dribbling needs some work. Natsu's a good power forward. He's really strong, and he brings in the points when needed. He can pretty much shoot from anywhere inside the paint, but his three-pointers are only four out of ten. Gray is a very intuitive point guard. You'll see what I mean later. He's also adept at passing. He can also shoot, but his side shots need work. Loke is a good small forward. He's quick and has excellent ball control. That should be our starting five. Most of the rest have good basic skills, but they need to be fine-tuned. I didn't catch anyone else particularly promising. Here's the rest of the data for the team. They're all doing very well, but you might want to work on stamina with them."

I took a deep breath, finally finishing.

Sting nodded, almost serious, as he examined my notes and training suggestions. I also had scribbled down a few specific notes on various teams throughout our district.

He continued to survey his new team, watching them finally finish their laps.

They were all panting by the time they were finished. "I see what you mean by needing to work on stamina," he said, staring at the group. I nodded.

"This group will need some work. They're Makarov's brats, so they'll pull through, though."

He thought for a moment. "Let's have a full-court game," he announced before separating them into teams.

My eyes widened in confusion. "Wait, no shooting tests? No dribbling practices? You didn't even analyze all of the players yourself, Eucliffe-san," I said, disapproval clear in my voice.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Look, I'm not a star player just because of my skills on-court. I may not look it, but I've been a training coach since I was young. I only need to see them play for five minutes, and I'll show you how an expert analyzes."

He smirked at me. "No need to worry, Blondie."

My eye twitched. There it was again. That personality switch.

I glared. "Go die, Eucliffe," I grumbled angrily before stomping away with my notes.

"Poor Blondie's upset, eh?" he asked, laughing loudly. I shot him another nasty look, pissed at how relaxed he was.

"You're blonde, too! I hope you grow wrinkly and die," I shouted back.

He rolled his eyes, unfazed my remark. I glanced at him suspiciously as I sat on the bleachers. From critical and just plain rudeness to light teasing.

What was he up to?

I turned my attention to the on-going game, taking notes.

"Number Five on the green team," I noted to myself, "Excellent ball-handling skills and not a bad shooter. He's also probably the strongest defender. Could be a starter."

I tilted my head. Maybe Sting was right. Sometimes, games brought out a person's true abilities better than any kind of basketball exercise. Especially when a player reacted to the gravity of a situation in a game.

I gazed at another player on court who had caught my attention.

"Number six on the red team. I think his name is Akira. Good offensive player with exceptional passing."

I smiled lightly to myself. Compared to last year's team, this one had many well-rounded players in the basics. Of course, they weren't as good as a district-topping team, but they could if they built on their skills.

Quickling putting down possible training options, I was completely unaware of the person next to me.

"Hey, Blondie, I've got a full analysis on all of the players here. I've got work to do with these guys." he said.

I glanced at him. His eyebrows were scrunched together in deep concentration.

"You're taking this very seriously," I commented cautiously.

He stood up, walking away. "If I wasn't serious about this, I wouldn't be worthy of calling myself a training coach. Every minute I'm training them counts. That's why I can't condone slackers."

I stared in awe at him. Maybe I was wrong. Sting wasn't completely a bad boy player-type.

"Okay, that's a wrap! We're going to play a full game. Keep the teams. Little Miss Manager will be leading one team against my team. Manager, which team would you like?" he asked.

I snapped out of my shock. I surveyed my notes and the players. Normally, I liked to develop strategies while watching an opponent play.

"You know, I'm going to just pick the red team." My eyes flicked to Natsu, who was on the other team. A message was exchanged.

"Great, I've got green team. Green, over here!"

Sting jogged to the opposite side of the gym, and he sat down, talking to them.

I grabbed my notes, waving at my team.

"Okay, minna, I want you to do your best. I know you're tired, so I'll try subbing all of you in continuously," I said.

With that, I brought out a diagram of the court.

"Jellal, Loke-san, Akira-san, Katsu-san, and Ryo-san. You will be our starters. Jellal and Loke, your regular positions. I want Akira-san as an offensive center, please. Katsu-san and Ryo-san, you will be supporting players. But if it's in your shooting range and you're open, I want you to shoot. Passing will be key here. 2-3 zone defense, stick to your zones. Watch out for Gajeel. Keep him outside of the point. He's not a great shooter there. I think they'll use a 3-2 zone defense or just stick to man-to-man. Mainly because they don't want Jellal shooting outside. Check my notes out. Remember, your defense isn't great. Stick to the zones. I don't want to play man-to-man yet."

They nodded as I went over the other team's weaknesses.

"Ready, go!"

The whistle was blown.

Gajeel got the ball. He was one of our tallest basketball players, which put my team on a bit of a disadvantage.

Akira swept in and stole the ball, tossing it over to Jellal. The blue-haired teen rushed down the court, but he was stopped by Natsu.

Natsu grabbed the ball, passing it to Gray.

The game continued. I was quite frustrated. Sting had given them the ultimate strategy, and it seemed they knew every little thing that one of my players would do.

At the end of the game, the score was 35-53 in Sting's team's favor.

"Great job, guys. We'll work on it this week. You all did excellent. I've seen huge improvements." I said. My team seemed kind of down to have lost. I was confused. How had Sting done it?

All of them shuffled into the locker room, sweaty and tired.

"So, Blondie. Now you know exactly what I can do," Sting said, smirking.

I snorted dismissively. "Oh, please. Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel are all star players. You had no part in the victory." I lied.

Sting raised an eyebrow. "Really. Even you know I was the one who created the strategy to stop your team."

The basketball team left after finding out that the tryout results would be posted later in the week.

Sting and I were the only ones left.

"I'm walking home," I said, waving.

Sting flinched.

"Stop," he cried. I stilled, surprised at his tone of voice.

"I'm taking you home," he said softly, leading me to his car. I gulped.

"Wait a minute, I'm perfectly fine! I don't need you to!" I said, wiggling out of his grasp.

Sting's eyes flashed as he clenched his jaw. "You're a really stupid girl. Don't you think someone will be worried about you if they found out you were walking home by yourself? Have you ever thought about the dangers?"

I thought of SS and his message.

"You're right," I muttered, hopping into his car. In truth, I thought he was making assumptions. The sun was still out. Well, it would save me from having to walk home.

Sting grunted. "Of course I am."

We drove home in silence.

I quickly e-mailed SS.

_SS,_

_I promise to be safe. Do you know Sting Eucliffe? If you have any information, please tell me. You see, I've been around him a lot lately. I want to keep my promise, so I won't do anything irrational. Cana-chan trusts him, but I want to make sure._

_Sorry for bothering you, and sorry for not messaging you sooner. I'll message you about my day later._

_Thank you!_

_Sincerely,_

_Lucy_

I sent the message. Moments later, I heard a soft ping.

I glanced at my phone, but it wasn't mine.

"Eh?" Sting pulled his phone out. I gaped.

How?

Was he SS?

I dismissed the thought. It was just a coincidence.

"It's the drunk," Sting announced.

I laughed, taunting, "People actually e-mail you?"

Sting glared.

We began to bicker, annoying the hell out of each other.

In that moment, I could imagine Sting being SS. Just maybe.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahem. If there are mistakes, please notify me. I didn't edit this very carefully. <strong>

**Thank you for reading. I hope you are all having an excellent day! **

**I understand how Sting and Lucy acted so OOC. Natsu was very OOC, too. I wasn't sure how to capture their personalities, especially since this is a big blow on Natsu. **

**Being rejected by your best friend...it would hurt majorly, right? You wouldn't act the way you did. **

**Also, about Sting's weird changes: I wasn't sure how to make Lucy pissed at Sting without making him a complete jerk. He wasn't a complete douche at first, but then I made him one. The StiCy will be coming along.  
><strong>

**Is the story going too fast? **

**I also apologize. I love Natsu and NaLu, so I was pretty mad at myself for hurting him. I think the whole situation was rather cliche. Of course, I'm trying to do better. **

**-LyingRavenEyes  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Stay By My Side**

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating lately. School has started, and you know how busy it gets! Well, here's the new chapter. It might be a bit shorter than what I wrote last time. Thanks for all the lovely reviews. You're all very loyal, and I look forward to reading your opinions. **

**Yes, this was modeled after Dengeki Daisy, but I tried to twist it so it wasn't completely the same. I really don't want to steal any more of the manga author's amazing story. **

**Oh, and just a heads up, Rogue is coming! Hope you guys are happy about that!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: My Babysitter<strong>

"Lucy, please wake up! You've been lying in bed the entire morning."

Cana knocked on my door impatiently, dressed in formal business clothing. Her curly brown hair was tossed into a bun today.

"Cana, it's only eight!" I groaned, covering my ears with a violet pillow. As per usual, I was dragging out the time I got to sleep on the weekends.

As a reply, she burst into the room and yanked the blanket off of me. I screeched, my eyes still shut. "Cana!" I complained.

"Wait, let me handle this," another voice decided. Sting. My nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Stop right there, pervert," Cana commanded. Apparently, he clamped his mouth shut since he stopped talking in that annoying way of his.

"Lucy, if you don't wake up now, you won't get vanilla ice cream," Cana threatened.

I sat up immediately, not wanting my vanilla ice cream to be taken away.

Sting snorted. "Damn, no wonder you're getting so fat. What with all of that ice cream," he commented.

I sat up, gritting my teeth. He was so disrespectful and annoying! "Baka!"

Cana clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Sting's right for once. You're really skinny now, but if you keep up with that diet, you'll be in trouble," she said in a parental tone of voice. I groaned. When Cana actually acted stern and less like her laid-back self, she was feeling stressed.

"Anyway, I'll be gone until supposedly midnight. I've got extra work today. I also want to try to visit Bacchus today. So, Sting will be taking care of you today."

I gasped. "Cana! How can you leave me with a pervert like him! That's so mean," I pantomimed sobbing, begging her to reconsider. I was appalled by the idea of being babysat by Sting. He was the exact opposite of responsible and mature.

Sting snorted. "Hey, I'm not always a weird pervert."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sure."

Cana laughed. "Hey, Lucy, you can actually trust Sting. But, if you need help, just give Mira a call."

I nodded, sighing. I didn't trust Sting. It wasn't that I was afraid of him; I was only wary of his presence.

"Have a good day, Cana," I said, closing the front door behind her.

She winked, fluttering her fingers.

Sting collapsed on the couch. I was about to march off, preparing to write my usual morning e-mail to SS when Sting stopped me. Maybe I could send him a new chapter of my latest novel. SS was the only one other than Levy who was allowed to read my stories.

"Hey, Blondie, can you help me with basketball stuff?"

I was about to reply with a blunt "no". Then I realized I could possibly figure out how Sting played and coached basketball. I had to admit that he excelled in everything concerning basketball. If it could help my skills, I would deal with having to hang around Sting.

"Sure," I grunted, sitting down next to him.

Sting passed me a packet of lined papers. Handwriting crossed and zig-zagged across the paper. His handwriting wasn't remarkably special, but I wished he would write my name in his bold handwriting. It would look nice.

On a whim, I lightly traced his letters.

_Snap out of it, Lucy!_

"Hey, what are these?" I wondered.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Oh, just notes. From my old games."

"How will this help me?"

The blonde smirked. "Now it's your job to take notes during our games."

I huffed. "I was planning on it anyway. Don't worry, I'm not a slacker." I rolled my eyes, already annoyed by his arrogant behavior.

His notes were careful and full of intent. Everything was clear and concise.

I added that to my mental list of "things I learn about Sting everyday".

As I looked over his notes, he read a textbook. "I'm surprised Sting Eucliffe actually studies," I mocked.

Sting fiddled with his pencil, twirling it between his fingers. "Well, yeah. Now I do. I used to just copy off of Rufus and Orga. Even Dorbengal. But Rogue-"

He stopped in mid-sentence, dropping his pencil, seeming absolutely stunned.

I glanced at him, expecting him to finish his sentence. "Yeah? And?" I asked curiously. Who was this Rogue character that seemed to render him speechless?

Sting cleared his throat, his eyes clouding with sentiment. "Oh, nothing. Um, Rogue and I…we just had a falling out. We're not friends anymore."

His expression cleared, smiling with feigned cheerfulness at me.

"So, what's with the weird goth attire today?"

I studied him warily. Perhaps Rogue was an old enemy that was out to get him. Vaguely, I remembered hearing the name "Rogue" from somewhere. I would have to ask one of my friends about it later. There was an important connection between Sting and Rogue; I just had to find it.

"Oh, it's just some old stuff of Mira's. All of my stuff is at home or in the washing machine. I was planning on going home to get some stuff soon. Besides, Cana's stuff doesn't really fit me."

Sting nodded, agreeing. Cana's normal attire wasn't very appropriate for someone age. "Yeah, the drunk shows off too much skin. But your outfit isn't exactly modest, either."

I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a purple tube top, ripped skinny jeans, and a leather jacket. Shrugging, I answered, "It's better than just a black bra and a super short skirt."

He nodded again.

He seemed subdued and quiet, less like his obnoxious self. His eyes were veiled, and he was staring down at his hands. I hesitated, about to ask him what was wrong.

It had to be about that Rogue guy.

_Gray,_

_Hey. Do you know who "Rogue" is? Sting mentioned him once...but I've got no idea who he is._

_Thanks,_

_Lucy_

The day went by without a hitch. Sting was much quieter, and I found myself wondering about his life and who he was. Did he have secrets? If so, what were they? I didn't know much about Sting, but it seemed SS knew plenty about the older people around me. Laxus's friends were all shrouded in mystery to me.

The thought made my question my older brother. Was he hiding something? I was sure working at a job in a foreign country wasn't that time-consuming. After all, Laxus didn't even have time to visit us.

Sting and I ate quietly in the living room, occasionally laughing at the show that was on.

"Hey, Sting," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

I blew my bangs out of my face. "Sting, can you snap out of it? You're acting so different."

He shook his head. "Look, I'm-"

My cell phone pinged. I flipped it open, staring.

_Lucy,_

_Do you think I can go over to Cana's today? My parents are fighting again._

_-Levy_

I winced. Poor Levy. Her parents had been arguing lately. I knew it really hurt Levy. She tried to conceal her own feelings, but it was obviously tearing her apart. She'd always praised her parents as the perfect example of true love.

Now, she was scoffing at that idea.

It pained me to see someone as innocent and good-hearted as her to have such a terrible situation.

_Levy-chan,_

_Of course. You don't even have to ask. We should talk._

_Yours,_

_Lucy_

I glanced up, standing. "Sting, can Levy come over?"

Sting raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

"Um, she doesn't want to stay home. She's got bad stuff going on."

He stared at me for a moment before laughing hysterically. "Bad stuff, she says."

I flushed in anger. "What? Why are you laughing?" Maybe I was overreacting, but I couldn't imagine how cruel someone must be to laugh at poor Levy-chan's situation.

"What is your problem? What kind of sadistic asshole are you?" I demanded, placing my hands on my hips. I was just mad. People like Levy didn't deserve this kind of treatment.

He snickered. "Look, do you think I care about what goes on with your little friends? Their problems aren't even half as shitty as mine."

In those seconds, I lost my head. Everything from my first meeting with Sting to now rose to the surface, flashing through my head like angry traffic lights. They buzzed, containing every single one of my thoughts, controlling every cell of my body. I normally didn't yell at anyone, but I couldn't even breathe as I screamed out to my heart's content.

As soon as I finished, I stormed outside, flinging the door closed with a flick of my wrist.

Calling Levy up, I proposed going to the bookstore cafe. It was a calming place that both Levy and I loved. The bluenette agreed.

"Lucy?" Levy murmured quietly, as if she didn't want to scare me.

"Hey," I replied.

We walked silently the rest of the way to the cafe, deep in thought.

"Lucy-chan, maybe they separate," Levy suggested hollowly, her eyes dull. Tears clung to her eyelashes, threatening to fall from her usually bright eyes. A dead look shown from her eyes. She was conflicted and helpless.

My chest tightened. How could anyone-even Sting-belittle her problems? She was in jeopardy of having her life completely thrown out of balance.

And she couldn't even do anything about it.

I wanted to help her, but what was I supposed to do?

"Okay, let's go grab a smoothie. You can rant all about it to me in the lounge."

Levy sent me a wobbly smile to show her gratitude, embracing me. "Lucy," she sobbed almost inaudibly. "I wish the world could swallow me up and make me disappear."

I shifted nervously, trying to stay strong as I patted the shorter girl's back. Those had been my exact thoughts when my birth father had been around, abusing my mother.

A sob escaped my own throat at the bad memories. My father, though dead, still had an overwhelming presence in my mind. He made me just want to cry. He had been so inhuman, an alien and completely devoid of emotions.

"Lucy?" Levy questioned.

I shook my head, biting my lip to keep from crying.

"Levy, I'm going to ask SS for advice, all right? I won't say it's you."

She nodded silently. We finally reached our destination and at down, smoothies in hand.

I e-mailed SS about our dilemma. "Alright. Levy, just talk to me."

She kept her mouth shut tight, hesitant to say anything. Her expression was closed off, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Lucy, I trust you more than anyone. I know you won't tell anyone, but I'm afraid."

I sighed, lost. I didn't know how to comfort others. Before, I could get away with listening to Levy and putting in a few simple, loving words.

I knew what Levy wanted to hear.

And right now, those words would be lies.

"I'm so sorry, Levy. I wish I could make everything better for you. I really do. But I can't. All you can do right now is hope for the best. Right now is just an event in your life that I swear you will get through. Please stay with me, okay?"

Levy nodded mutely.

"Lu-chan...thank you."

I smiled. "Of course, Levy. And if you ever need anyone else, you can see any of the others. I'm sure Gajeel wouldn't mind giving you some support." I winked at her, trying to lighten the mood. Levy stuck her tongue out at me half-heartedly. I knew her mind was still on her parents.

Levy took a deep breath, her hands tightening around her smoothie. "You know, maybe it would be best if they split. I will respect their decision as best as I can, but that won't mean I will be happy about it. I'm worried I won't be able to see my mom or my dad. I want to be able to see their faces every day. I want to know that they're there for me."

"Levy, they are there for you. If they separate, you can always see them. One or the other won't just disappear off the face of the Earth just because they've separated." I used my best supporting-best-friend voice, hoping it would successfully work.

Her eyes softened. "Lucy, if you ever need, I'll be there." She seemed so determined and strong despite her small stature.

Guilt formed. Levy trusted me so much, but I was hiding so much from her. None of my friends knew the truth about my father. Not even Natsu.

"You and Natsu will be the first I tell if something comes up," I replied, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Levy grinned. "Good."

My phone pinged.

Lighting up, I snapped my phone open. It was SS

_Dear Lucy,_

_Hey, look. It breaks my heart to see you so upset over this. And I get it. Your personality is just like that._

_Tell her life changes. Don't tell her any lies. You have to be there for her. I know that that's pretty obvious, but sometimes it's hard to execute. Life is always hard._

_Share something hard for you. I understand you haven't told any of your friends about what truly happened with your dad. Make her feel better with a bad experience. It can be anything._

_Make her feel safe and happy around you. You're not her counselor, you're her best be normal and fun as much as you can._

_Hope I helped you. I'm not that great with comforting._

_If anything else has been bothering you, just e-mail me again._

_Yours,_

_SS_

A warm feeling settled in my stomach. "Thank you…"

I took his advice to heart.

And it worked.

* * *

><p>Reluctantly, I walked home where Sting was. It was getting dark outside, but I wasn't completely worried about stalkers or something. Laxus and Erza had taught me some self-defense, so I wasn't completely helpless. Still, I wasn't safe, and I had to get home as soon as possible.<p>

Levy called me, telling me she had gotten home safely.

Once I received her call, I sprinted the rest of the way home.

I rounded the last corner. The street light glowed dimly. I squinted through the darkness, trying to locate Cana's apartment.

"I hope-"

My voice was cut off as a callous hand wrapped around my mouth before an arm wrapped around my throat. I screamed, panic rising to the surface. Blood pounded through my ears.

"Well done. Let's move, now."

Thoughts whirled through my mind as I choked for air, clawing. It was all so terrible, so fast. I couldn't breathe!

Through some bit of sanity, I elbowed my captor in the stomach before kicking him in the crotch. He groaned In pain, doubling over. The sound didn't even reach my ears as I rushed forwards, stumbling away from the other kidnappers.

"Run!" I told myself, commanding my body to move. Unfortunately, I was breaking down. My entire throat hurt. My body couldn't help the pain as my lungs rose and fell, trying and failing to catch a breath of air through my bruised windpipe.

One of them snickered. "Wow, she got you good." He hauled me onto my feet, an iron fist around my arm.

The one I had kneed stood up, breathing heavily. "What a bitch. I hope I get to kill this one."

The first one protested. "But she's a lovely thing. Worth more for other uses."

Tears sprung from my eyes. I was so helpless! I could only shudder at the things to come. Someone...

Suddenly, I flew through the air until I fell on cement. A sharp crack noise filled the air. Pain shot up my leg, vibrating through every nerve of my body.

"Oops," I heard someone say faintly in a mocking tone. Four shadows loomed over me, giving their own comments on my vulnerable state.

I began to feel my body giving way to the agony.

_Someone...save me..._

The last thing I heard was an angry scream of rage.

* * *

><p>I blinked.<p>

Squinting at the bright lights around, I groggily wondered where I was.

As my eyes adjusted, I noticed a slumbering figure next to me. My mouth opened in in a soundless gasp.

"Sting..."

His blond hair was ruffled, a hand tightly clasped around the bed sheet. Fresh tears were streaming down his face. It seemed like he had been crying all night.

"Sting, are you okay?"

He awoke immediately, his hand closing around my fingers. "Lucy," he sighed in relief. It scared me how many tears were still streaming steadily.

"I am so sorry, Lucy. I didn't save you early enough. I-I can't believe myself. I am so sorry, Lucy..."

His shoulders shook with grief. I froze as I remembered what had happened before I passed out.

"How-?"

"I found you unconscious on the cement. Some goons were trying to take you away. I beat them up. Luckily, they didn't do...anything else to you."

He looked away, his eyes filled with hatred.

I was stunned. This was the guy who hated me, ridiculed me. But he was my savior.

"No. Sting. I'm lucky you got there when you did. Thank you so much. I don't know how to tell you how much it means to me. Please stop crying. It's not even your fault. You didn't do anything. Without you, who knows what would have happened to me. Thank you...Sting."

He looked away.

"Hey," I said, grinning slightly. "Since when did you become such a big baby?"

I hugged him, careful not to hurt myself. "Look, I owe you, okay? I'm really grateful that you saved me." I said, shooting him a wide smile. I _was_ grateful. Without, I'd probably be in a ditch or something.

Sting chuckled. "Fine. You can take me to coffee or something another day. For now, the doctor wants you to rest." he said gently. He patted my head lightly. I stared at him in surprise.

"Wha-what are you doing, pervert?" I stuttered, blushing.

He winked, standing up. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go call Cana about your condition, okay?"

My eyes widened. "She doesn't know what happened?"

Sting shook his head. "No. She's been quite overwhelmed. A while ago, she text-messaged me about visiting Bacchus. He...he didn't make it, Lucy. She's really upset. It's causing her a lot of pain. I didn't want to spring your incident on her immediately, too."

I gasped. Dead?

I could only imagine how distraught Cana was feeling. "I-I..."

My lower lip trembled. I felt emotionally and physically tired. "Just go ahead. I get how hard it's been for you." Sting murmured.

I started wailing. I was so lucky to be alive. I was so lucky that I had Sting. Cana, however, had no one right now. Her boyfriend just died, someone she genuinely cared about. As I slowly recalled just how close I had been to being kidnapped, everything dropped onto me like a huge stone, a burden.

Sting dropped a towel on my head, muffling my sobs. He didn't have to say anything. I knew, in his own way, Sting cared for me.

"Arigatou...Sting..."

* * *

><p>Cana ignored yet another text. She would have answered, but she wasn't in the mood for anything. Especially not her boss's shit. Downing another shot, she glanced at the swimming screen of her iPhone.<p>

_Yep, I'm officially drunk. _

She could usually hold her liquor down pretty well, but today was an exception. She didn't even care how drunk she got at this point, as long as it made her pain wash away. Bacchus was dead. He would never come back. He would never share another drink with her. He'd never laugh with her again. He'd never complain about annoying girls again.

Bacchus. Was. Gone.

_I want to forget. Just forget. _

The brown-haired woman relaxed, slumping over the bar table. "Ten more, please," she slurred, calling over the bartender. The man nodded in reply.

"You're drinking an awful lot today."

Cana turned sluggishly.

She almost didn't recognize the tall, ruby-eyed man before her. He exuded an aura of power, channeled through his urbane clothing too sophisticated for this shabby, no-name bar. His dark hair covered one side of his face, and a single white streak ran through it.

She choked on her saliva. Wasn't he dead? He...should have been dead. She'd seen his ashes being buried in his family's graveyard. Were her eyes deceiving her? Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the figure. He stood tall and proud.

"Rogue."

The man's full lips curled into a dark smile. "Glad you can still think, Cana."

* * *

><p><strong>Whoo! That's all done, and I'm hoping I can get another chapter in soon. I actually just started righting my own novel, and I'm actually putting real effort into it! All of my previous ones have crashed and burned as ideas. <strong>

**Please review. For all you RoLu fans, there will be something in store for you guys later. **

**Also, I'm so sorry for killing Bacchus. If possible, should I bring another person for Cana? **

**What do you guys think? **

**Thanks, as always, for the reviews! And please check my mistakes, etc. etc. **

**Love, **

**Aria**


	5. Chapter 5

**Stay By My Side**

**Author's Note**

**Ooo...wow, I really haven't kept up with updating. I'm trying, but I've been very busy with school. Thanks for the people that have reviewed. Not a very long chapter, but I'm hoping it will appease you all. **

**Also, I'm looking for ideas on what you guys would like to see. **

**This chapter may be a bit confusing. Please bear with me; everything will be explained in the future. Also, I felt kind of bad for causing Lucy to majorly doubt Sting. There will be Rolu next chapter. **

* * *

><p><em>The last gunshot rang through the air.<em>

_He dropped the gun, staggering towards the other man, whose hands were soaked in blood from covering his fresh wound. "Damnit," he hissed in frustration and panic, falling to his knees next to the bleeding man._

_"Damnit, I never meant for you to get hurt!" His body shuddered as an anguished cry escaped from behind clenched teeth. He bit into his knuckles._

_The rain was drenching both of them, but neither of them noticed the biting cold._

_The dark-haired man tossed him a look filled with hatred and rage and betrayal, completely contrasting his typical emotionless attitude. He didn't say a word as his chest heaved up and down, catching the air he desperately needed. He stumbled to his feet, wheezing._

_"I didn't want to get involved."_

_The blond stood up, too, raising his callous hands to support his bleeding friend. "Rogue, we've got to go to a hospital. Let me-"_

_"NO!" he snarled ferally. His temper exploded, and as the rain continued to pour, both men faced each other, muscles tense._

_Sting growled lowly. "Fuck, man, yell at me later. We have to-"_

_"You always kept secrets from me, even when I was the one in danger. You risked my life without telling me. What kind of sick bastard are you? I can't believe I actually thought of you as a friend," he spat, ruby eyes glowing with rage. His dark hair clung to his angular features, giving off the appearance of a wild animal that could not be controlled._

_Rogue gazed at Sting, blood dripping from his fingers. "Would you have been more relieved if I had truly died?"_

_"Tell me, Sting, was I just a pawn caught in the crossfire between two manipulative assholes?"_

_He chuckled, sighing in content. "Like father, like son," the red-eyed man whispered, saying the final, breaking words. Sting sucked in a sharp breath, feeling tears trail down his dirty face. His mind raced. He wanted to scream as Rogue's words left their mark on him, like a dagger through the chest._

"You don't know him! He's a monster! How could you ever compare me to someone like that?"_ He wanted to yell at Rogue and knock some sense into him. He would never..._

_He wanted to say he was nothing like his father._

_His silhouette loomed in the deepest corners of his brain as a newly resurfaced fear. His father's face appeared in his mind's eyes, mouth curling into a dark smirk. "You've finally realized your true identity, haven't you?" Sting's father laughed. "You're a-"_

"A monster!" Yukino screeched.

_She was a ghost of the past, constantly haunting Sting._

Yukino's death was my fault...

_Rogue leveled his gaze on Sting, nostrils flaring in disgust. He watched as his former friend cried in pain, ripping at his hair. He watched as all of Sting's fears came back again. He sneered. "You really are scum," he muttered, stepping away._

_And he left._

_Moments later, Sting smashed his fist into the wall and lifted the gun to his head. Thoughts ran through his mind of a girl he'd killed. A beautiful, innocent girl. Who loved with her entire heart, thew herself into her work to gain the approval of others..._

_And died at the hands of the ones she trusted wholeheartedly._

_He closed his eyes, listening to his inner monsters._

You don't deserve to live after what you put them through.

_He pulled the trigger._

* * *

><p>I woke up to a crash. I groaned, curling back into the warm bed. "I'm sure Cana will handle it," I murmured, convincing myself that there was no need to get out of bed.<p>

"Dumb ass, be a little more careful! If you're going to steal some food at night, you might as well have the decency to do so quietly!" Cana screeched. I heard the two adults bickering loudly and calling each other names. I groaned again. There really was no getting a good night's rest with them around.

Lately, things had been pretty tense in the household. I blamed it on the recent incidents in our lives, but I felt there was a lot more that Cana and Sting were keeping secret from me. I didn't pry since I knew this was a personal matter between the two.

I shoved a pair of headphones on my head, slipping out of the bed. I was already awake, and there was no way I could go back to sleep.

With music blasting in my ears, I went to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Blondie, I'll take you there."<p>

I looked up, widening my eyes. "Sting? Are you serious?" I grinned, packing up as quickly as possible. "Thanks," I said, flashing a huge smile. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll pick you up, too, okay?"

My smile got even bigger. "Looks like you have a soft spot for me, hm?" I teased, following him out of the gym.

"Tch. This is a one time thing, Blondie," he denied halfheartedly. I simply took it as a sign that we were getting closer.

My friends and I were having a study session for a difficult exam at the cafe inside of a popular bookstore. All of them were already there, and I had been planning on taking the bus. Luckily, the usually uncaring blonde had agreed, even offered, to take me there. Maybe he wasn't so rude after all.

We sat in the car, listening to Sting's never-ending playlist of heavy metal and rock. I was pretty sure it was in a foreign language since the lyrics all sounded like an incoherent mess of sounds to me. He insisted on playing it at the loudest volume, of course. Once, when we stopped at a red light, an elderly woman walking on the street sent us a withering glare.

"She's probably thinking, 'damn those insolent brats and their obnoxious music'," I imitated, giggling. Sting laughed, nudging me. "I think you're right," he said. He stared pointedly at the lady, yelling, "It's rude to stare!"

With one last disapproving glare, the woman waddled away. We laughed. On the way to the cafe, Sting and I tried to make up life stories for every grumpy person we could see.

"Damn, that last one was especially butthurt," Sting commented, referring to our last victim, a business man in an expensive designer suit yelling at his cell phone. I laughed. "Our characterization of him probably wasn't far from the truth."

He smirked as we stopped in front of the cafe. "Don't get hurt again, baka." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Bye, Stingy-bee."

I marched into the cafe, smiling. I really needed more days like this with Sting. "Lu-chan, over here!"

Levy waved at me from their table. Erza, Lisanna, Levy, and Juvia sat around a coffee table, enjoying their respective drinks. Heavy textbooks were spread across the table, accompanied by notes with handwriting of various neatness.

I sat down on the empty chair, pulling my things out.

"Juvia is wondering how things are with Sting-san," Juvia wondered while sipping her tea. Lisanna nodded, grinning widely. "He was the one who dropped you off, right?"

I rolled my eyes. Lisanna was just like her sister, Mira, in some ways. Both always had their eyes peeled for any budding romantic relationships, and their friends often suffered from their shoujo manga girl-type eagerness in prying for information. I, definitely, was not exempted from this.

"Lis, there's nothing between us in the way you're thinking. I will admit we're getting closer, though, but there's so much I don't know about him!"

Erza shrugged, adjusting her reading glasses. "It seems no one really knows about Eucliffe-san's past. I'd say he's had a difficult one, what with his best friends' deaths." She sighed, turning back to her notes as if this was just casual gossip about an upperclassman.

The rest of us turned to her in shock. "'Deaths'? Did I hear right? Not one, but two?" Levy asked in surprise.

I bit my lip, imagining how I would feel if two of my best friends died. If any of the girls died, I would be devastated, unable to move past the incidents for years. How did Sting cope with it?

"It's not common knowledge, of course. I only know because a close friend of mine, Kagura, was close with one of the deceased. Yukino, I think. I heard she was a wonderful girl, and her older sister was crushed. Kagura said it was supposed to be suicide; she threw herself off a cliff overlooking the ocean during a vacation trip with Sting and the other deceased friend, Rogue." Erza explained.

Levy sat up ramrod straight. "Wait, Rogue, as in Rogue Cheney? Gajeel's always going on about how he never got to meet him and beat him at basketball." I felt a memory light up in my mind.

Rogue...Rogue was the name Sting had been so sensitive about.

Erza nodded at Levy's statement. "Yeah, they were quite popular in the college basketball circuit. Prodigies. They were the perfect team."

I shook my head. I, a basketball manager, should have known this information. However, I hadn't been keeping track of any basketball teams-college or professional.

"Anyway, two years after Yukino's death, Rogue and Sting got into this huge argument, I think they were drunk, or something. No one really knows what happened since I guess it's just a secret only the police department and Sting know. But anyway, Rogue ended up getting shot really badly. It was really rainy and foggy that day, and Rogue ended up getting hit by a car when he left Sting. There was, like, a huge fire, and his body was burned beyond recognition." When Erza finished, everyone sat quietly, letting the gloomy information sink in.

With this, I felt even worse for Sting. However, something nagged at me. "I know I shouldn't be saying this, but..."

All eyes turned to me. "They may have been best friends, but I find it kind of suspicious that Sting was present during both incidents. Either he has really bad luck, or Sting was the one who instigated their deaths."

Lisanna laughed nervously. "Lucy, you're living next door to this guy. Shouldn't you have a pretty good idea of what kind of guy he is?"

An image of his crying face at the hospital popped up. I doubted he could have faked that.

Could he have? Eye drops weren't that hard to obtain.

I smiled weakly. "You're right. I don't think he would do something like that."

Erza crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "No, Lucy, I think you're right to be suspicious. When the incident first happened, Kagura researched Rogue's death, because...well, she really cared for him. She find the trail of blood from where Rogue left Sting, which is explained by the gun wound. But, who shot him? Sting may have been drunk, according to the story, but still...where did he get a gun, anyway?"

She waved a hand, groaning. "I may just be too suspicious. Nonetheless, you have to be careful, Lucy. We don't know where you stand with him."

I nodded, shuddering.

The tension in the air was palpable. Lisanna smiled disarmingly. "Look, let's get back to studying, okay? I'm sure everything will work out." She said optimistically.

I nodded warily. I really had to do some research on Sting. SS could probably tell me more about him. He'd always been good at tracking people's pasts down. And if even my guardian angel couldn't find something, I would know that Sting was definitely trying to cover some huge, dark secret.

I drank the last bits of my frappecino while exploring the newest books in the bookstore. Levy was having a amiable conversation with a fellow bookworm about a romance series I hadn't read yet. Even though my best friend was occupied with the stranger, I didn't feel very left out. My thoughts were in disarray because of the conversation about Sting. Lisanna, Juvia, and Erza had left earlier, feeling pretty satisfied with the studying.

My slurping caught Levy's attention momentarily, and she giggled as I continued slurping. "Lu-chan, your cup is empty. I don't think you can drink anything anymore."  
>I laughed at my absentmindedness. "Right."<p>

I drifted further away from her, fingering the spines of books. Not in the mood for searching for a new read, I grabbed an old favorite, preparing to reread it. I stared at my empty cup and frowned. Time to get some more.

My cell phone sounded, signaling a new message. That had to be Sting.

"Hey, sorry. Gonna be a little late. I'll be there in thirty minutes."

I sighed, twitching. Maybe this was better. I wasn't ready to face him normally quite yet with his past in mind. On one hand, if was innocent, this was a terrible mishap. I wanted to comfort him. On the other, if he had had something to do with why his friends died, it would be best to keep my distance.

Deep in thought, I didn't even notice I had bumped into someone until I was splashed with liquid. I squeaked in surprise. "Oh-!"

"I am so sorry, miss." The stranger leaned down, picking up my fallen book and cell phone for me. He stood to his full height, giving me an embarrassed half smile. "I really do apologize. As an apology, can I buy you a coffee?"

He was very handsome. His hair was snow white, but it was obvious he had dyed it. He was muscular and tall, and I found myself comparing his physique to Sting's.

"Miss?" He asked cautiously.

"N-no! I was at fault, too. As a matter of fact, I should be buying you a replacement coffee," I responded, waving my hands. He smiled kindly, taking his sunglasses off.

My breath caught in my throat. His eyes were stunningly beautiful.

They were ruby red in color. Intense and full of emotions rumbling on the surface. One look and I knew he had a past I would never even come close to understanding fully. However, there was a definite draw to him. He held an aura of high authority, like a noble of some sort. He radiated power, especially those commanding and intimidating red eyes.

"Let's make a compromise. I'll buy you a coffee, and you can buy me a new one," he suggested.

I agreed reluctantly. We walked to the cafe together. As we stood in line, the mystery man struck up a conversation.

"I saw the book in your hand," he commented. "Have you started reading it?"

I nodded vigorously, pleased with this new development. The book, _The Queen of Lilacs_, was a beautifully spun story I had read many times when I was going through difficulties in life. It was dear to me, and I had many positive things to say regarding it. "Oh, yes! I've read it many times, but it never fails to touch me. I heard the author is releasing a new novel, and I'm very excited!"

He chuckled. "Yes, I find it very moving, too. Nitta Sayuri is definitely a talented novelist. Her characterizations and descriptions never seize to amaze me," he replied. A wide smile lit up my face at his response. Not many males read the book, due to its more-than-girly title, no matter how tragic and dark the story was.

We quickly bought our coffees, and before I knew it, I was chatting with him like we were old friends. Our conversation started as an analysis of favorite books and book suggestions, and it quickly went to other subjects.

I found it much about the former "stranger". His name was Ryos Cheney, and his father owned a large incorporation. He was studying at one of the top colleges in Japan. He was also the deceased Rogue's twin, which was quite ironic since I had just learned about Rogue. Ryos was friendly, cultured, and humorous, but he was dangerous and powerful at the same time.

Despite my misgivings about giving my cell phone number to a stranger, I had a really positive feeling in my gut about him. We promised to go to Nitta Sayuri's book signing together.

"So, ah, Ryos, did you ever meet Sting?" I asked, trying to see if I could get some information regarding Sting.

My cell phone started ringing, and the caller ID showed "Baka Bee". I grumbled. Just when I was getting to an important part of the conversation.

"Yes?" I said, answering.

"I'm outside now," Sting said in a bored tone of voice. I hm'ed in response before ending the call.

Bowing, I said, "Please excuse me, Ryos-san. My ride has arrived. It was very nice to meet you."

He nodded, sending me a blinding smile. I shuddered inwardly. This man was surely a lady killer. "Yes, very much. I'll see you soon, Lucy-san."

Feeling weak in the knees, I waved good-bye and high-tailed it to Sting's car. I quickly sent Levy a text to tell her I was leaving. Luckily, with positive thoughts of my new friend in mind, I was able to ignore all the theories about Sting and his past.

"So, how was the study session?" He asked casually, turning the music down. I pressed myself against the window and stared outside. "It was fine," I replied vaguely. My voice came out perfectly normal, dare I say bored.

Sting nodded in reply. Neither of us spoke, as we were both in deep thought. I found myself discreetly trying to look up pictures of Rogue Cheney. In every image, he was brooding and serious, shying away from new people and attention. I smiled. Twins really were different. His hair was pitch black, and he had a scar across his nose, unlike Ryos.

"Blondie, we're going to pick up takeout. Cana is getting late today, and I didn't get to cook anything so..." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the

I shrugged. "You know, I could always cook. I'm not half bad."

He smirked. "Be my guest. I've somehow lived off of burnt food for the past two years. I'd be glad for a change."

I snickered to myself. "Another one of your faults revealed, Coach."

He merely pouted, which prompted another laugh from me. "You idiot." The two of us headed into the restaurant to pick up much-needed food, and Sting was still goofing around. As I laughed, a traitorous voice from my deepest thoughts whispered.

_You shouldn't be so close to a murderer. _

My breathing quickened. Was Sting doing this...to relax me? To make me put my guard down? Just like Yukino and Rogue?

The thing that scared me even more was that I knew I wouldn't be able to keep myself away from Sting.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so on that depressing note...<strong>

**Hopefully the next chapter will be posted by next week on Sunday? **

**QOTD: Should Kagura be brought into the story, and what should her role be? **

**Also, favorite female character in Fairy Tail?**

**AOTD: I kinda want to bring Kagura in. I'm not sure if you caught that hint of Kagura x Rogue when Erza was talking...**

**Fav female character? Probably Erza and Lucy. **

**Review, because that will probably make me write faster xD**

**No guarantees, since I have a couple of interviews and volunteering activities to do. I also have to study for AP tests, so I really do apologize! **

**Thanks so much for your support. I'll answer questions in the next chapter!**

**Until next time, **

**Aria**


	6. Chapter 6

**Stay By My Side**

**Author's Note**

**Hi, minna! Yea, I haven't been keeping up with updating...again. I'm thinking of starting a new story with Wendy paired with either Mest or Romeo but with a couple of twists. **

**Anyway, I'm not really happy with this chapter. Rogue or (Rogue pretending to be Ryos, if you want to get technical) and Lucy's relationship dynamic wasn't really written the way I imagined in my head. **

**Also, you might think it's odd that Rogue is pretending to be someone he's not. I'll explain everything in the future. Also, Rogue is acting completely different because he's pretending to be someone else.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**LUCY**

"Lu-chan, you're spacing out again," Levy whispered. I jolted upwards, blanching. Seated next to Levy, Erza also sent me a concerned look.

I grinned sheepishly and waved a hand. "It's nothing. Sorry for worrying you guys."

The bluenette shrugged and opened her mouth to speak. However, the teacher glared pointedly at us before continuing with the lesson. She scribbled onto a piece of paper and slipped it onto my desk discreetly.

As usual, Levy's handwriting was neat and connected in an almost cursive-like style.

"I saw you with that handsome stranger having coffee. I wanted to approach, but I didn't want to ruin your moment. :D"

I blushed furiously at the message before scribbling down a reply.

"It's nothing! We accidentally bumped into each other. Also, I was wondering if I could bring him along when we meet Nitta Sayuri-san..."

Levy snatched the note back as soon as I finished writing, eagerly trying to see what the situation was. She let loose an excited, high-pitched squeal, which caused the teacher to throw her another dirty look. Because of this, Erza frowned slightly, in her "strict mother" mode. Levy grinned apologetically, whispering to appease her, "Erza, we promise to be quiet." Erza sighed, but I knew she had a soft spot for us.

Levy turned back towards me, flicking the note towards me.

"Of course! But, today, I decided to tutor Gajeel. I guess it'll just be you and him!"

I flushed at the thought before mock-glaring at Levy. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I hissed quietly. She smirked playfully in reply with a finger to her lips. "Shh." I groaned, massaging my forehead. School had just started and I already had a headache.

Levy turned back to the front, once again becoming the studious girl I knew her to be, As for me, I begrudgingly went back to listening to the teacher drone on as well. It still slightly irked me that my best friend was choosing Gajeel over me.

_Whatever. _I sighed. _It's not like I _wasn't _the one who tried to set the two up. I'm just being selfish. _

I stared down at my pencil, suddenly nervous to meet Ryos again. Wrinkling my nose, I focused the blame on Gajeel instead of Levy.

_But, I need to teach Gajeel a lesson. I won't let him hurt Levy. _

I stared at the desk, thinking about ways to scare Gajeel. Levy deserved the best, and I would definitely not just hand her over.

* * *

><p>Students in the class began shuffling around, preparing for lunch. The teacher called for lunch, but I was still furiously scribbling the last notes.<p>

"Yo, Kimura-san, here's the papers you requested."

I felt a flush of anger. I recognized his voice, but I refused to turn around. Bending my head even more over my notes, I pretended I had no relation to him whatsoever. He was most definitely _not _the idiot who lived next door and annoyed the hell out of me. Sure, he could tease me at home, but I would not condone such embarrassment in public!

He entered the classroom, not even caring that he was making a slight scene.

"Wow, he's hot!"

"Think he's single?"

"That's Sting Eucliffe! The basketball player!"

I gritted my teeth, reprimanding myself. I should have been used to it by now. Many students, male and female alike, enjoyed watching Sting coach. It was pretty obvious why-he was good-looking and an inspiration (not that I'd admit either to his face).

Kimura-sensei was younger than most teachers at the age of twenty-seven. She was also pretty and intelligent. For some reason, it put me on edge seeing him so close to her.

"Ah! It's nice to see you again, Eucliffe-san. Why are you delivering handouts for me?" she asked. Was she using a flirtatious tone of voice? I shook my head and scolded myself. What was going on with me? I shoved down the urge to analyze her facial expression and kept my nose in my book.

"Oh, it's nothing. Master wanted me in the office, but I thought it was convenient anyway..."

His voice seemed to come closer and closer, until it was right before me. "Besides, I wanted to see this little brat who's trying to pretend like she doesn't know me." I slowly lifted my head and widened my eyes. Sting's face loomed over me, and it seemed like this was just the perfect moment for my brain to notice how blue his blazing eyes were and how cute he looked with that scar.

"Um, excuse me, Eucliffe-san," I squeaked, leaping up and grabbing my lunch. I started to make a run for it, but I halted to a stop when I realized there was a wall of students outside the window of the classroom watching.

"Aw, that hurt my feelings, you know," Sting said teasingly.

Kimura-sensei smiled pleasantly. "Are you two siblings?" she asked curiously. I bit back a scream at this. Siblings?

Sting snorted, walking with me out the door. "She's too air-headed to be my little sister," he replied. I felt my face burn red with anger. I reared back, clenching my fist. Listening to him talk about my "imperfections" was getting really old, and today, I wasn't in the mood.

My palm collided with the side of his face. He stiffened, shocked, as he stared down at me. "I am not here as the object you can make fun of! You have _no _right, Eucliffe," I snarled.

I stormed out of the classroom, still furious. I would've yelled at him more if we hadn't been at school. After all, I still had a reputation to maintain. However, I knew I would get in serious trouble for hitting him.

Sting was so infuriating-some days I thought he was actually decent, and then he pulled something to annoy me. Deep in my thoughts, I almost didn't notice Gajeel rounding the corner from the locker rooms.

He seemed to sigh in relief as his eyes met mine. "Hey, Bunny Girl, I need your opinion on something!"

I glared at him suspiciously. "What are you planning? Surely not another prank on Natsu." Last time, Gajeel had put a special type of dye in Natsu's hand soap, and my poor best friend had had to live with bright purple hands for a week.

Gajeel shook his head. "No, no, it's more important than that. C'mon, help me out." I merely nodded, following him to a more private area. He finally turned to face me with a light blush sprinkled across his cheeks.

I raised an eyebrow at his reaction. This had to have something to do with Levy. I crossed my arms, smirking. "Aw, is the big, bad delinquent finally manning up enough to ask my Levy out?" I teased, reveling in the fact that he was now fire-engine red. He glared, as menacingly as possible in his blushing state, but it did not have the intended affect. I burst out laughing, wiping tears from my eyes.

"Bunny girl, I'm going to _kill _you," he grumbled, clenching his jaw.

My laughter died down and I eyed him seriously. "You've already tried that, remember?" I said lowly. When I was younger, Gajeel had had a huge grudge against Laxus for beating and embarrassing his gang leader in a fight. As a way of revenge, he came after me when I was walking home from school with Levy. He hurt both of us , but Natsu and Gray stepped in to give him a beating.

I had never seen the two boys so furious in my life.

Gajeel flinched away at my words and sucked in a sharp breath.

"You're right. I don't really deserve Levy, do I?" His expression was so pained, so hurt, it was like someone dear to him had died. He turned to leave, muttering, "Thanks for reminding me."

A shock went through my body as I watched his slumped form. No, Levy had forgiven him ages ago. She had been looking forwards to finally going out with Gajeel, and I wouldn't stand in the way of that. "You baka!" I screamed. "Levy doesn't care about the past. She doesn't hold grudges." The teen faced me, wide-eyed.

"However," I stated, growling in a deadly tone of voice, "unlike Levy, I hold onto my grudges for eternity. Don't hurt Levy again, or I will make it so you will never be able to have children."

He paled, staggering backwards.

He grinned and laughed. "Yeah. Kick me if I ever turn into the asshole that I was years ago. It would probably be better to just kill me off if I hurt Levy, anyway." He walked away, whistling. I watched him leave and sighed in approval.

I used to know an arrogant, violent delinquent with black hair, red eyes, and an abnormal amount of piercings.

This grown man in front of me was not him.

* * *

><p>My head swiveled in the vanity mirror as I examined my new hairstyle-a simple, wavy side pony tail. Cana stood at the doorway of my temporary bedroom and knocked lightly. "Going on a date? You look amazing," she said, half-smiling while wiggling her eyebrows.<p>

I flushed red. That was such a Cana thing to do. "No, no! It's just an outing with a new friend," I denied her assumption immediately. The violet-eyed woman rolled her eyes. "Mm. Whatever. Be safe. Need someone to drop you off?"

My mind wandered to Sting and shook my head. There was no way I was going anywhere with that idiot. "No thanks. I'll take the subway," I replied, a bit stiff. Cana slung an arm around my shoulders, laughing. "Oh, so I'm not allowed to meet this special guy?"

I shoved her away playfully. "Cana, how do you even know it's a guy? You're making too many quick assumptions."

Her grin became even wider at this. "If you went out with one of the girls, I doubt you'd put this much effort into your appearance," she replied simply, eyes mischievous. I gulped, waiting for her to interrogate me. However, after staring me down for some time, she backed away, arms crossed.

"Be safe," she said quietly. "Also, don't tell Sting that you're seeing a guy."

I quirked an eyebrow at this odd request and shrugged. "I wasn't planning on it." No way in hell was I telling the asshole anymore about my doings. Cana tossed me another smirk before I finally escaped the house. "Don't do anything too dirty!"

I squealed, glaring at her. "Cana!" She only winked.

My flats clicked against the tile as I walked down the stairs with a copy of Nitta Sayuri's _Queen of Lilacs. _I was giddy with excitement-after all, I was meeting a famous author for the first time! I quickly walked to the subway, brandishing my pass and getting to the correct subway car. I stood on the crowded car, smoothing down my skirt.

My ensemble was the average outfit a Japanese teenage girl would wear-a cute dress with a long cardigan. I smiled, wondering what SS would think of the outfit. Something encouraging and kind, of course. Thinking of SS, I remembered that I had wanted to ask him to look into Sting's past.

I felt my gut twist. Some part of my was reluctant to e-mail him. A first. I'd always eagerly e-mailed him. I shut the feeling down and sent him a quick message.

_SS, _

_Hey, I'm worried. _

_Can you do a background check on Sting Eucliffe? Or, do you know anything about his past? _

I hesitated, grimacing. I didn't have the right to snoop into Sting's past. There were probably very personal. He wasn't necessarily a bad person just because of a coincidence.

But hadn't SS always told me to alert him of suspicious people?

I continued on and typed quickly.

_I don't know what to think of him anymore. _

_Yours, _

_Lucy_

I sent the message without much thought. However, as soon as it was sent, a chill went up my back. I had made a mistake.

* * *

><p>The streets were crowded. The shops around me advertised all kinds of new trends and items in bold Japanese kanji. People filled the streets-adults and young children and students. My eyes swept the crowd as I walked the rest of the block to the bookstore where Nitta Sayuri would be.<p>

He stood at the entrance sipping tea-his white hair unruly yet attractive and his lean, well-muscled body was tucked into a white shirt, a grey hooded jacket, dark jeans, and high top sneakers. I grinned at his appearance. He looked like a teenager with that boyish half-smile and his attire-definitely not for the high-class heir of a huge company.

However, even without being known as the heir of Cheney corporations in his "disguise", he was still distinguished and attention-drawing. I watched a couple girls approach him, only to be shaken off with an apologetic and innocent smile. Quite the charmer.

I approached, relaxing my tense muscles. This was just an outing between two acquaintances. "Uh, er, Ch-Ryos-san?" I asked, smiling nonchalantly to cover up my mistake. I had almost called him "Cheney-san". If that had happened, I was sure people would start flocking around him. He gazed down at me, away from whatever he was examining in the distance. Of course, there was no way to really tell since he was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

He smiled brightly, lifting his hand and bowing in an overdramatic way. I laughed, accepting his hand as he led me into the bookstore.

"So, how was school?" he asked conversationally. I smiled brightly at him. For some reason, I felt comfortable around him. Unlike Sting, he was caring and optimistic, and he never put me down.

"It was a normal day. Actually, I had planned on coming to meet Nitta Sayuri-san with a friend of mine, but she completely ditched me," I said while wondering how Gajeel's confession was going. "I also scared the crap out of a guy who wanted to confess to my friend."

He chuckled, teasing, "I never took you as the violent type."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not, I promise." Tilting my head, I studied him. 'So, what about you? How was your day?"

He pretended to count off his fingers. "Oh, I only had a couple meetings with some head company CEO's. Oh! And someone tried to scout me for modeling when I was walking here to meet you." I snorted, replying dryly, "Why am I not surprised?" He smirked playfully. "So, you think I'm attractive?"

I blushed, stuttering and grasping for an answer. Ryos laughed. "I'm kidding, Lucy-san." He rubbed the back of his head while I became even redder than I had been earlier.

"Stop teasing me!" I complained, lightly slapping his arm.

Ryos grinned playfully at me before extending a hand. "Let's go. It looks like Nitta-san has arrived."

My cheeks warmed at the gesture.

I snorted. "I can walk myself, thank you very much," I replied, annoyed at my own embarrassment. He laughed.

I shook my head, groaning. How was I going to deal with this guy?

* * *

><p>"You really did not have to escort me home," I said, waving my hands as I stepped out of his car. Ryos had decided to take me home after meeting Nitta Sayuri.<p>

He rolled his eyes. "I can't have you walking home by yourself, Lucy-san," Ryos replied.

I crossed my arms. "Regardless, I don't want to be burdening you." I bowed quickly. "Thank you, Cheney-san."

He stepped out of the guy, standing in front of me with the most serious expression I had ever seen in his ruby eyes. "You are not a burden, Lucy. If you continue with that thinking, you will definitely get hurt, and that will burden the others around you even more."

I flinched, remembering the time Sting had saved me.

I didn't have the right to act so selfishly when I didn't even have the ability to protect myself. How could I question Sting when I was such an ignorant little girl?

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a step back. "You're right. I'm sorry," I said softly, frowning.

All of a sudden, I felt something soft on my cheek-his lips.

"Be safe."

With those words, he was gone.

* * *

><p>A young woman loomed over an unidentifiable body with jagged, criss-crossing lines. She stared down at her handiwork, a crazed look appearing in her eyes as she anticipated the next hunt.<p>

Reaching into her pocket, she pressed the ringing phone to her ear. "Mission complete," she announced, smiling. The man on the other end chuckled lightly. "I'm not surprised. You've never ever been unable to complete an assignment."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, wiping her blade clean of blood and stalking off with swinging hips. "No matter. She was an easy subject to get rid of. Although, I don't understand your motives in killing Beth Vanderwood."

Laughter. "It's unfortunate. She was just a witness at the wrong place and the wrong time. She wouldn't be dead now if that wasn't the case. However, we must speak of your next assignment. You're getting twice as much for it."

"Who?" Minerva asked, eyes glittering in excitement. That much money for a single person! The subject must have been of much importance.

"I sent you a profile."

She quickly reached the file, reading, "'Cana Alberona'." Minerva's eyes widened. "You...want to kill one of the Fairies? She's one of the regulars, though. Tough and strong. And, she's also stopped working with Mavis, so why do you want her dead?"

"Yes. It will hit close to home for my little shit of a son. He'll be reckless, maybe go as far as to come home. He knows I'll come after his blonde girl next." The man said, smirking.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "But, of course, you'll have also have her killed."

"You're catching on."

Minerva checked the time, sighing and realizing she had to end the conversation soon. It was time to see Rogue. "As much as I'd love to speak to you more, I must be leaving."

"Good night, Minerva."

* * *

><p>She stepped quietly into the empty manor, green eyes darting from side to side. Where the hell was that jerk? Her hair stood on end as she heard him speak calmly, toying with her instincts. "It took you a while to come, Minerva," he said, pouring over an open book before snapping it shut. She glanced away and tucked strand of loose hair behind her ear, slightly embarrassed by her display. "Mm. I had business to attend to."<p>

Staring, she studied the man she'd known for two years now. Rich, handsome, and brilliant. He had it all, so why would he involve himself in the gruesome and death-dealing business of the yakuza? Despite knowing him for some time, she still didn't know what to think of him. "So, we finally meet again."

"You were correct, Minerva-san," Rogue said suddenly. "She is a naive little girl-a fool. I don't understand why Sting cares so much for her."

Minerva shrugged, relaxing on an empty sofa. "The heart is a curious thing. Did my advice work, though? I _did _tell you it would be more effective to become friendly with her under a pseudonym and then watch Sting shiver in anger."

She laughed, throwing her head back at the thought. "However, who would believe such an blatant lie? Being Rogue's twin...what a joke."

"Amusing," Rogue replied dryly, materializing at the bottom of the stairwell. He set two glasses down on the glass table across from Minerva and poured two glasses of wine. Minerva raised an eyebrow before lifting her drink towards her mouth. She sniffed. No poison.

Rogue continued, his face unreadable. "However, your advice did work. She's vulnerable now, and she trusts me." A dark scowl ran across his face.

"But, Minerva, I'd like you to confirm something interesting."

The dark-haired woman hummed quietly in approval, downing her drink.

"Did Weisslogia ask you to kill Cana?"

Minerva froze, mind racing.

_How had he known?_

"Tell me the truth." Minerva lifted her eyes, meeting his darkening scarlet ones.

Minerva leaned back, relaxing. "I really have no idea what you're talking about. But, I shouldn't be the only one under interrogation. You told Cana that you're back. This puts your revenge and Weisslogia's plan at risk. So, why?"

Rogue sent her a half smile. "I did tell her. She doesn't know I am the one planning to kill Sting. She still trusts me. She's a Fairy. It's one of her flaws. I wanted to make sure of something."

The woman nodded. "So, is this why you don't want her killed?"

Rogue chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Look, I'm not the same as I was before. When she has no more use to me, I could care less if you killed her."

"And the blond girl, too? Do you want her dead?"

A murderous glint reflected in his vermilion-colored eyes.

"Make her suffer."

* * *

><p><strong>Ooo.<strong>

**And the plot thickens! **

**Please review!**

**Hopefully, I'll update soon...**

**I wasn't really happy with this chapter, but I hope it's still okay. **

**Thank you for the lovely reviews and for understanding that I'm really busy with APs and such. **

**However, I have a story idea that I'm dying to write. I'm going to write a NaLu story, which will hopefully satisfy all of you who wanted this to be Nalu. **

**Thanks, and until next time! **

**-Lying**


	7. Chapter 7

**Stay By My Side**

**A/N: Woot woot! I'm back and the plot has thickened! **

**SimplyIsabelleS: Haha, yes. Minerva's a badass, but I made her quite the antagonistic figure in this story. Aw, thanks. I'll do my best with this! Sorry it's a little confusing at the moment. **

**Guest 5/5: I only read the beginning. But I loved the ship. It was so cute! And I love it when Teru is like, "go bald!" It's hilarious.**

**Your Reader 5/27: I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED. I'm such a bad writer xD I didn't really want to make Rogue bad because I absolutely love, love, love Rogue. But, it's all for the future of this story. You'll see. I originally planned for Sting's dad to be like some random OC because Weiss just seems like a big, loving daddy dragon. It kinda breaks my heart that I made him bad. But, eh. I think it'll be interesting. Also, shhh but I'm planning on killing off some characters. Probably. **

**FDsecretart: Thanks for the reviews! Thanks so much for the comments. Yes, I love sticy fanfics and they all just make me so happy inside. Maybe I just like a little blond action haha. **

**hiiro kira: *tears* Sorry. Cana may or may not die. **

**REVIEW WHETHER OR NOT YOU THINK CANA SHOULD DIE.**

**Anyway, thank you all for the wonderful reviews. On with the story. Oh, and if you recognize the song(s) used in the beginning, I will have to give you a virtual hug. :P I love them so much. I'm fangirling inside. **

* * *

><p><em>"Everything you say can and will be held against you, so only say my name..."<em>

The music faded into silence when I grabbed my phone from the dresser counter. It was six in the morning, but I was psyched despite the early time-today was the class trip! It was the perfect excuse to get out of school and to catch up with my friends.

I prepared as quickly as possible, allowing myself plenty of time to walk to school in time. Sitting down for breakfast, I realized Sting was still not up. I groaned in annoyance.

He was a chaperone, and he was still not up! Cana had left earlier to finish up work from last night, but she had seemed too distracted.

Not only that, but both Laxus and SS had sent me warning messages if anyone seemed suspicious. SS glossed over the topic of Sting, saying he was not much of a threat. He was just someone with a difficult past too private for SS to feel comfortable with revealing. I trusted SS with everything, so I would trust him concerning Sting.

I walked towards Sting's room, about to wake him up, when I heard Sting growl. Chills went up and down my spine at this. My knuckles halted inches from his closed door.

"...I promise to protect her. My father is targeting her to get to me. I won't allow her to hurt Cana. You have my word." He ended the call with a slight beep, and then I heard his footsteps coming for the door.

I squeaked silently, leaping backward and practically racing back into the kitchen. I could only hope he hadn't seen me.

He entered moments later, groggy and not angry like he'd sounded earlier speaking on his phone. My mind raced as I studied him.

His father? And someone after Cana? Who was "her"?

My eyebrows furrowed. Both adults always kept things from me. I understood why, but I always felt like I was living under a rock.

He nodded at me, muttering his thanks before chewing on the simple breakfast I'd made. I inclined my head in return before plugging my ears with ear buds to listen to more music.

However, before the chorus of Gumi's Crystalline began, Sting pulled out my ear buds.  
>"What?" I snapped, glaring over at him and setting down my chopsticks.<p>

He stared at the ceiling, leaning back in his chair. "I think I owe you an apology. That thing the other day...I was in over my head. It was uncalled for, and I deserved that slap." His piercing blue eyes landed on me, capturing the pieces of my heart that had previously been completely against him. That look was so vulnerable, so anxious for forgiveness, that I almost blurted out something stupid.

"Ah, it doesn't matter anymore, I suppose," I replied neutrally after a while. "And I guess I'm sorry about slapping you."

He blinked for a moment. Deep, baritone laughter filled the kitchen. He bent over, gasping for breath. "You're so stubborn, Blondie."

I puffed my cheeks in indignation, crossing my arms, but my facade didn't last for long-I started laughing along with him, relieved for some reason. He grinned at me and I grinned back.

A burden had been lifted off my back.

"We have our first game in three weeks," Sting commented casually. I tossed him a wicked look. "I've been doing my job, trust me. Twilight Ogre is decent, I suppose. I've been watching their recorded games from last year and taking notes. Their first game is a week before hours, so I'll be sure to watch them play." Natsu and the others on the basketball team were working hard for the start of the season, and I was sure their efforts would pay off-especially against an average team like Twilight Ogre. However, I had to be careful.

Sting smirked, roughly patting my head. "I guess you can be trusted. Nice job, Blondie." I waved his hand away in annoyance. "Sting, focus on driving!" I cried.

He stuck his tongue out at me childishly, turning his music up even more. I rolled my eyes. Jeez, he was such a nuisance.

"Do you think they're ready?" I asked suddenly while turning the music down, curious. I cackled inwardly, awaiting something cheesy, and prepared a voice recorder.

Sting smirked. "If they don't kick these guys' asses, I'll be really pissed with them." He paused, becoming serious. "But, they've got the talent. I think they can really get to the finals. I just had to help them polish it. They've got love for the sport, and that's what really matters. I'm pretty proud of them. They're the best team I've coached."

A smile lit my face, and a warm feeling settled within me. I was so proud of Natsu. His dream may be coming true in the near future.

"Aw, that was so sweet and cheesy!" I laughed as he glared daggers at me. Turning towards the voice record app on my phone, I imitated the voice of a news reporter: "And that was commentary from Coach Sting Eucliffe concerning the basketball team at Magnolia Academy. Who knew he actually cared about people!"  
>Sting's eyes glinted, and he lifted a finger in warning. "Wait till we get off the car, Blondie."<p>

I shivered in fear. We pulled into the school's faculty parking before Sting grabbed our things. I noticed the tour buses for the field trip in sight.

Sting flashed a smirk at me before grabbing me by the waist.

"Sting!" I screamed, pounding on his back. One arm was around me and the other was around our things. He marched towards the bus in this position, teasing me the entire time. "Careful with how much ice cream you eat, Blondie."

I gritted my teeth, casting him a hateful stare. However, all I could do was allow him to carry me to the tour buses.

"Ugh, I hate you so much, " I muttered. The older man grinned at this. "I knew that from the start, Blondie. Sorry, but it's fun to tease you."

He finally placed me down, shoving my things into my arms. My face was warm-of course, this was all Sting's fault. The blond douche took a few steps back, jogging towards the other chaperones. As soon as he left, my best girl friends surrounded me like moths to a flame.

"Spit it. You guys are on good terms again, huh?" Erza said, her whole demeanor and posture screaming intimidation. Levy nodded dutifully to back Erza up. Juvia was off in her own world. Her deep blue eyes darted back and forth between me and Gray, unsure of who to focus her attention on. Lisanna smiled gently at me, but I shivered when I met her gaze.

The optimistic, happy-go-lucky blue-eyed girl did not look so happy. There was a sort of emptiness and longing in her eyes, and I immediately knew what the cause of this was.

I may have made my feelings for Natsu clear to him, but that didn't change the fact that he had loved me while Lisanna loved him. I cringed at the thought. Had I hurt Lisanna? What were things like between the two? Lately, with all of the drama going on, I hadn't spent much time with my best friend Natsu.

Sighing deeply, I pushed the problem away for now. This trip was the perfect opportunity to get some time to do damage control. Natsu and Lisanna were great for each other. If only that blockhead had realized Lisanna's feelings for him. I face palmed. Then again, I, too, was a blockhead for not noticing Natsu's hints back then.

"He just apologized and was less of a jerk today. I suppose we're okay now."

Levy smirked evilly. "I'm glad. Did you kiss and make up, Lu-chan?"

I whipped around to face her, scandalized. "Levy-chan!" She grinned back, sticking her tongue out.

"Well, what about you and Gajeel? Aren't you two dating now?" I fired back.

At these words, all of the other girls swiveled towards Levy to interrogate her eagerly. I laughed at Levy's dilemma.

"When did this happen?"

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Levy, I'm so happy for you!"

The petite bluenette raised her palms in a "hold up" gesture, flustered with the girls' sudden attention to her love life. "Wait, minna," she pleaded, pulling on Erza's arm as she started spouting nonsense about "beating up that insolent metal head for asking Levy out without her permission". The eccentric redhead merely pulled Levy along with her, as if she weighed as much as feather. I rolled my eyes. Knowing Erza and her ox-like stength, I was sure Levy truly did weigh a feather to her.

"Erza, calm down. I already talked to him. He'll treat her right," I said, trying to ease her. She stopped, flashing a disarming smile.

"Ah, no worries. It wasn't like I was going to beat him up," the class president said, cracking her knuckles. I stared at her in disbelief, sighing.

Tilting her head, Juvia asked curiously, "Lucy-san, how did you know that Gajeel and Levy were going out? Unless one of them had to have told you."

I grinned. "Yeah. Gajeel came to me for advice."

Levy cried in exasperation. "Seriously. That baka!"

I stuck my tongue out at Levy, hands on hips. "See, if he didn't tell me, you probably would've kept it a secret, huh?"

Levy smiled guiltily. "Well, not necessarily...I would have waited a few days..."

Erza crossed her arms. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. As long as you tell us all the details about your dates now!" We laughed as Levy paled considerably at Erza's demand.

"Please don't do that thing where you stalk Gajeel and me on a date!" Levy begged.

I winked. "No promises."

"Ugh...you guys..."

"You love us anyway!"

* * *

><p>"Finally!"<p>

Erza leaped out of the bus, stretching her limbs and preparing for the camp. "Jeez, that was a long, terrible ride," she commented. I yawned, gathering our things and standing besides her. The others soon followed, bleary-eyed from sleeping the entire ride while Erza and I had chatted.

Jellal slipped his arm over Erza's shoulders, causing her to blush brightly. Even though they'd been together for a while and had known each other even longer, Erza was still flustered sometimes around Jellal. I smiled fondly. However, Jellal was always doing his best to calm her down and keep her relaxed. The two were very compatible together, and I hoped that Levy and Gajeel had the same compatibility.

"Everyone, find your groups! Group leaders take roll!"

I turned to see Lisanna, and the two of us searched for the rest of our group, including Gray and Loke. "Loke! Get your flirting ass over here!" Gray shouted. Loke adjusted his glasses, winking at the girls before leaving to meet us.

Gray snorted when Loke complained loudly, "Gray, I just about had that girl! I should've asked her on a date when I got the chance."

I laughed. "Loke, seriously!" He swiveled towards me, pulling on a flirtatious smile. "Oh, Lucy, I didn't see you there." Loke slung his arm around my shoulders. Rolling my eyes, I shoved him away. Although Loke acted like a playboy, he really was a nice guy, and he only acted like one around me jokingly. We'd known each other since we were children, so I understood him well.

Lisanna grinned, interrupting, "enough, Loke. Let's find the other two." She hesitated, momentarily staring at her sheet of paper for information. "We're looking for Flare Corona and Cobra Dilitirio."

I jolted upwards, shocked. "Excuse me? Cobra Dilitrio?"

Lisanna's eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah. Is there a problem?"

Gray, Loke, and I exchanged concerned glances. Uneasily, I said, "Lisanna, I know you moved away for awhile, so you never encountered Oracion Seis Academy. They were a big problem for us. Cobra used to go there, and there was this one time where he injured Erza really badly."

The white-haired beauty's eyes widened in surprise and terror. "W-what? Erza of all people?"

Gray nodded gravelly, his voice husky from anger at the memories. "Yeah. He poisoned her. That asshole. He got taken to juvie after because he was so twisted."

I waved my hands, trying to tone the severity of Gray's words down. "But, word is that he's good now. Kinana's been helping him, and I don't think he was ever bad-just under bad influences."

Besides me, Loke smiled gently. "What the princess says. We've got to forgive him."

"Forgive who?"

I could almost hear the sharp intake of breath in our little group at his arrival. I turned, meeting the speaker's dark, emotionless eyes. Cobra. He was different than I remembered-he seemed cautious and more mature, without the aura of dark anger and hatred and regret he used to have. Something had changed. His face was calm, framed by dark, crimson hair.

"Dilitirio-san," I greeted calmly, glad to hear my voice steady. I squeezed Gray's hand in mine, willing him to back down and stop glaring at Cobra so intensely. "Glad to have found you. The last person we need to find is Flare Corona."

Lisanna smiled her smile, that bright smile that won everyone over. I saw the very slight quiver of her lip and knew she was a bit frightened of him. "I don't think I've ever met you! When did you transfer here?"

He regarded her, face still expressionless. "Couple days ago. You're friends with Kinana, right? Liz or whatever."

She brightened quickly. "Yes, I'm Lisanna!" She winked. "I hope you're treating Ki-chan right."

I snickered into the palm of my hand at Lisanna's alacrity. Cobra swiveled towards me, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Princess? Anything to say?" He asked sarcastically.

Lifting my chin, I replied, "actually, I do, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Quiet. Now that you're a part of this school, you won't be tainting our name. I'm willing to give you a second chance, so don't ruin it."

He smirked in response. "Damn, Princess' got a sharp tongue. Nothing like what happened in the past will happen. I don't want Kinana to hate me or anything."

I grinned with Lisanna.

"Whooped!" We cheered in perfect unison.

He groaned.

* * *

><p>"Ah, this museum is actually pretty interesting!"<p>

Gray rolled his eyes. "Loke, seriously? You're just looking at the older girls. Maybe you should listen to Bookworm over here," he said, gesturing towards me. I snapped my head up, casting him a withering look. "I wanted to read a little about our destination. At least I've got a brain, Gray," I teased. He glared back.

"You must be trying pretty hard to debunk the whole 'dumb blonde' thing," Cobra commented casually.

"What did you say?" I growled.

He smirked, something I'd gotten quite annoyed of. "Sorry, Princess."

As if my troubles couldn't get any worse, HE arrived.

"Oh, Princess? That's a new one. But it fits, Blondie." He messed my hair up, laughing as I screamed at him. I whipped my head to face him, glaring daggers at him.

"Shut up, bee boy! Go terrorize some other group," I dug my elbow into his ribs, satisfied at his quiet curse.

The boys raised an eyebrow at me while Lisanna merely giggled at our interaction. "My, you two are quite comfortable with each other," she commented. I stared at my friend in betrayal. Although the girl was gentle and loving to most, she was also quite devilish, not hesitating to make a dig.

Meanwhile, Loke adjusted his glasses, pantomining being wounded in the heart. "My poor, broken heart! It looks like the Princess has already been taken by another!" I rolled my eyes. "Loke!"

The annoying blond pest, who still continued to purposely ruin my hair, wiggled his eyebrows. I gagged, pushing him as far away as possible. "Guys, let's leave now!" I was finally freed, saved, justified!

"Oh, no, Blondie. I'm supposed to be chaperoning your group since we don't want you killing the new transfer student," he said, grabbing my collar and successfully choking me. I clawed at my shirt, gasping.

"Jeez, Stingy!"

His eyes flicked to me and he smirked. I groaned. This was going to be a long day.

The rest of the day flew-for the scavenger hunt, our group came in at last place because the boys were screwing around. At that point, I didn't really mind anymore and just promised myself to live a little.

I settled into the girls' hotel room I shared with Erza, Lisanna, Levy, and Juvia. The others fell asleep rather quickly after lights' out, with only a few words of conversation. I shifted in the futon, wide awake and unable to fall asleep.

Sitting up, I surveyed my friends-each of them was mostly motionless, their breathing steady. I slipped out of the room, tiptoeing downstairs into the main lobby, which was still alive with activity.

I walked outside to the balcony and closed my eyes, allowing the cool night breeze wash over me. The sky was dark-velvety, pierced through by dozens of every lasting stars.

A warm feeling settled in me, like when you drink a hot cup of coffee on a cold night. As I stared up at the sky, I remembered my mother and those long, sleepless nights for her when we all were scared of my dad...

The balcony door opened and closed. Sting. He looked tired, so our usual, energetic banter did not occur.

"Sting, what's your mom like?" I mused out loud, curious.

He sighed, leaning over the rail and staring down at the city. "She died when I was young. I never knew much about her because my dad never mentioned her. I...kind of lived a muted childhood," he replied softly. I gazed over at him, catching a regretful look in his eyes.

Sting was terrible, arrogant, and annoying. But he was still human. All in all, Sting was still a good friend despite his faults.

"I bet she was a strong and beautiful woman," I murmured. "I'm sorry for your loss."

He nodded in acceptance, quiet for once in my presence.

"Lucy."

I blinked in utter shock. He never called me by my real name. It was always "Blondie" or "Heartfilia". Never Lucy, just Lucy. "Yeah?" My voice cracked when I responded, waiting for him to continue.

He gripped the metal rail of the balcony, pushing back and moving forwards again, like he was hesitant to talk to me. For the first time, I noticed his appearance. He was wearing sweats and a holey t-shirt. Gone was his silver earring, and his normally impeccably styled hair was down, messy, and darker than usual.

"I - I'm not really a great person my mom would probably be proud of," he started, his eyebrows knit together as he tried to piece his words together. "Because of who I am and what my background's like, I've put a lot of people in danger and they've suffered from it."

"Cana...you..."

He swallowed hard, shifting uneasily. "Yukino and Rogue..."

Seeing his two best friends die must've been hard, but I had no idea how their deaths had anything to do with him. I shook my head, watching him. He looked genuine. You couldn't fake these emotions. You couldn't fake the hurt that came when people you loved died and you were just an empty shell of a person. How many days had he lay awake, beating himself up over their deaths?

"You don't have to tell me now," I interrupted. "If you aren't ready yet."

Some part of me didn't want to know this big, dark secret of his. Since I'd first met him, I wondered why he acted the way he did. He obviously wasn't who he said he was. And, I, too, wasn't ready to know who his genuinely true self was. I wasn't ready to find out what I'd gotten involved with.

For now, I wanted to pretend that everything was all right.

He released a loud sigh of frustration. "Yeah, I'm not ready. I don't think I'll ever be, " he muttered.

I smiled weakly, holding my arms out for him. He crushed me into his body, holding me tightly like I was his teddy bear. I felt the burning heat off his body and listened to the steady thump of his heart.

He had a strong heart.

His voice was too soft, like the gentle hiss of the wind, and I didn't hear his words.

"Hm?"

"I said I'm hungry," he replied loudly. I burst out laughing, wiggling out of his powerful embrace. "You're such a child, you know?"

"Hn."

My thoughts drifted to Cana, wondering if she was safe. Eccentric, beautiful Cana. I couldn't imagine a world without her.

I stepped in front of the balcony door that led instead and faced him, staring straight into his glittering cerulean eyes.

I needed to make sure.

"Sting, can you promise me that Cana will be okay?" I asked, keeping my voice steady and strong.

He lurched backwards in surprise. "How did you find out?" He regarded me grimly, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I eavesdropped on accident. And, shouldn't you be at home, protecting her?" I demanded, suddenly feeling quite brave. If I could, I would do everything in my power to help Sting protect her.

He pushed his hair out of his eyes, glaring at the ground. "There's a lot of people keeping her safe right now. People that are stronger than me."

Nodding, I leaned back, satisfied with the response. "That's all I wanted to know." I paused. "But, if there's anything I can do to help, I won't hesitate." I gripped my clothing anxiously.

He shook his head furiously.

"That's the thing, Lucy. You trying to put yourself out there is only going to-"

His phone started to ring loudly and obnoxiously. He sucked in air sharply, staring at the screen. I peered over the tilted phone at the screen, dumbfounded.

I felt a mixture of feelings as I read the caller ID.

_Sparky (Laxus)._

I blinked multiple times. Sting had never mentioned knowing my brother. Sting didn't know my brother. On top of that, Sting had given his contact name a nickname. Where they on such familiar terms with each other? How...?

That time I sent an email to SS, and at the same time, he'd received it. The secretiveness, and why he didn't want to reveal his own background.

I started to piece things together as I met his eyes. He looked pale, as if he'd just seen a ghost. Meanwhile, I felt a load of guilt, a sudden panic and embarrassment. He knew my secrets, things about me I'd told no one except SS.

"I..."

"Sting, are you SS?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ooh...Lucy finally finds out!<strong>

**Review, follow, favorite! Thank you!**

**Comment if you think Cana should live! (I feel so bad, thinking about killing Cana off)**

**Lying**


End file.
